


War of Truth

by Ann5654



Series: From Asianfanfics [2]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Fights, Fluff, M/M, Temporary Character Death, ao3 made me spoil it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-05-14 22:19:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 17
Words: 34,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14778347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ann5654/pseuds/Ann5654
Summary: Kai lives his life in the shadows. His mother was killed in front of his eyes, his brother abducted by strange beings, his home town burned to ashes. There was no stable constant in his life. He had only ever wanted to live his life carefree, never dreamt of befriending royalty, yet alone to being involved in a war with one of the worst countries he could think of....





	1. Of Stolen Fruits and Memories

Rain poured down from the grey sky, running down the old and tattered pavement, as it was dripping down into the rotten sewerage. The shabby houses in the outskirts of the city were quiet. Their residents were huddled together, covered in thin blankets and trying to warm each other with their own bodies.

No smile was there, no sweet words were spoken and no laughter was heard. The only sound one could perceive over the rain, was the crying of children, begging for food. Nobody dared to go on the streets, not even dogs were outside in the dirty gardens.

Despite the poor's gruesome life, the middle and upper rings were as cheery as always. Nobody was bothered by the rain, colorful clothes and smiling faces could be seen everywhere. The people were dancing, gifting each other, enjoying their lives. Not even the knowledge of the harrowing condition the other citizens lived in could destroy their mood. In that sea of yellow, orange, red and pink clothing, two boys could be seen running around, the taller one guiding the other by his hands. They were greeted by the adults, showered with candied fruits and gifts.

A lone shadow scoffed hidden in the corners, a horrid mask with bluish-black fox like features dangling from its belt.  
Kai was sitting on the clotheslines between the rows of houses, (stolen) candied fruits in his hands. His sharp, dark blue eyes were watching the people, who looked so different from the master thief. They were colorful, Kai was dull. His clothing was completely black, besides the rows of silver and golden knives on his thighs, waist and arms, his gauntlet’s hidden blades shining dangerously under the lanterns that illuminated the streets, as he played with them. His light armor was blotched with ash, dulling the once silver metal.

The cold sensations of something wet on his hands made him jolt and with a silent curse, he licked the dripping juice off his hands. He watched the kids for a while, before he pointed his fingers at them, forming a motion he saw by one of the mages, before the sorcerer had shot a ball of concentrated energy from his fingertips. "Peng..." He whispered, as the smaller child tripped, falling to the muddy ground, his cries filling the air.

Kai pressed the heels of his hands in his eyes, as flashbacks of wide, gummy smiles and bandaged eyes infiltrated his mind, torturing him.

They were running on wide fields, Kai holding the other by the hand as they sprinted through the crop. The sun was bright that day, Kai knew it, but in his memories the sun was always hidden behind crimson clouds. The other had that special wide smile on his face, his small, warm hand clinging on Kai’s. The two continued to run, back into the village they both lived in.

As they stepped over the border, the village burst into flames.

The two boys were listening to the sound of people screaming and crying as shifting beasts, the Murrik, ran in between the houses. They were just mere shadows as they grabbed Kai, separating him from the other boy. Kai was soon tossed into a corner, the creatures vanishing in the crimson horizon, his older brother’s sobs carried by the wind.

“Ha~” Kai breathed out, calming his troubled mind.

He had almost forgotten about his chubby and blind brother and he would want to continue to forget him.

He was long dead anyway. Probably only a pile of bones and ashes in some unknown rich guy’s garden, where other kids might also serve as fertilizer. The Murrik were known for slave trading, selling abducted children like cattle to rich people.

But Kai wouldn’t try to change it. His brother may be dead, but he had no intention of bringing him back. The death should stay where they are. Necromancy was by far the darkest magic people could dare to practice. Even when the power was reserved for one race only, it was feared by many.

The Chantes were the ones who could bring back the death. They were the beast riders, the darkest beings. It wasn't unheard of whole villages wiped out without a trace but the aftermath of a Chantem's magic filling the ruins. Some people claiming they had seen the dragon-like beasts high up in the air, the kingdom’s phoenix fighting against them, as the sky burned in their ice cold fire.

As if on cue to Kai's thoughts, a group of men started talking beneath his hideout, simultaneously ripping him from his own thoughts.

"Did you hear? They caught another one." One young fella said, his red hair decorated by a flower crown. A queen.... Kai noticed with amusement twinkling in his eyes. The flower boy was probably sent off, searching for a possible mate. Ugh, mates come with kids... No thanks... Kai shuddered, then continued to listen to the men below him.

"Did they, huh? Just imagine what it would take to defeat one of those beasts. I saw one with my own eyes!" Another whispered as if afraid of the wrong people hearing him. Never speaking about Decantures was like an unspoken law in every western country.

"What was it like?" The redhead asked, pressing himself to the man's arm, while the other men hummed in agreement.

"It was gigantic. Bigger than a bear and with claws so long and sharp, that it would rip you in two like your mother’s scissors cut through yarn. The beast had six legs and a long tail, its scales were tinted in a dull grey and so thick, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Its head, it was enormous, I tell you. And those eyes. Cold and without any regret for the victims, whose life it took. Piercing red and white. The beast was a dirty creature, the foul smell made me throw up, even as I stood so far from it. Disgusting, I tell ya'!" The other men were gaping at the storyteller, who looked proud at his description of a Chantem's beast, only a sliver of hidden fear flickering in his eyes.

The thief scoffed at the proud cock, standing there and bathing in fame. And the scared queen on his side...  
With the last bite of his fruit, Kai vanished in a cloud of black smoke, his mask covering his face again.

He reappeared in the same dark smoke, this time standing in the bedroom of the major. He tsk-ed at the two naked girls hugging the fat guy’s body, the loud snores not bothering them. With keen eyes, he scanned the room, searching for his loot. The room was held simple, if you ignore the two gigantic pieces of furniture. Something Kai couldn't take from the major, sadly. They were made out of the most expensive wood, imported from Xiang-ang.

His schooled eyes soon found the small inconspicuous chaffs on the wall, next to a painting of the late major. Kai could slide the painting to the side with ease, a large door welcoming him, as if 'GOLD' stood there in big bold letters, trumpets and an angel's chore accompanying it. Only for Kai~

He pulled out his tools, playing with the lock, while humming his favorite song (by a colleague and singer named Siren) and opening it after his first try.

Jewels, diamonds, pearls.

Name it and Kai could give it. The safe was full to bursting. The thief held back a squeal, grabbing the jewels and stuffing them in his pockets. They were straining against their seams when he got the most expensive ones and all the gold (of course), out of the safe. He eyed the room once again, but shrugged, when he couldn't find any more important goods. He continued to empty the safe, leaving a small note for the major, just to keep his reputation high.

My sincerest condolences for your loss...  
-Shadow Hunter  
P.S: I saw that brunette once, nice choice ;)

He gave the brunette a last look, wallowing in memories of their shared night.

With that he left the room, the clinking of coins accompanying him, as he dived out of the window. The sound was wakening the major, while Kai disappeared in smoke and darkness.

 

The belfry was his home for the time being, the three weeks he had already spent in Autumn’s death, the biggest city near the border to Kallas, had made him buy steal thicker blankets for his next destination. The never ending rain was also killing his mood.

It wasn’t warm in Autumn’s death, but Kai planned on going further north anyway. He threw the loot on his small, handmade nightstand, inspecting every piece. They were from good worth, some cheaper than others, but good enough to sell on the black market. Some he might keep, using them to lure richer woman or maybe even queens.

A dark blue stone was, what caught his attention. It was part of an amulet, sitting in a triangular form. It wasn't bigger than his thumb, but heavy and almost glowing in the dark. He held it up, his keen eye observing the ornament. The stone looked like one of his own eyes in Kai's opinion and he felt unusually drawn to it. Like he had seen it sometime before.

This, he would keep for his own pleasure, too beautiful to even grasp its worth in Kai’s eyes. The stone itself looked like nothing expensive, maybe some, with blue minerals dirtied onyx. With the thought in mind to keep the amulet, he packed his few things, the thickest furs and blankets obviously with him. He watched the city a last time, before he left, welcoming his powers with a content sigh.

The other side was as beautiful as always in Kai's eyes. The dark dimension that took him from the eastern country of Xing-ang to the western evil of Decantures in a matter of seconds. Doors to all places were sprouting in the black, his mind sorting them easily to which place they would bring him.

Kai was in the midst of teleporting, checking the few doors he had in Kallas, when suddenly a loud, high-pitched ring sounded in his ears. He broke his powers off, landing in the midst of a forest he didn't knew. Snow was covering the ground and seeping into his rather thin clothes.

He held his head as the ringing continued, crying out in frustration and pain. His head felt like it was being split in two, dark dots already covering his vision, as he caught a figure making its way to him, cowering like an animal on the ground. He saw purple eyes and then faded into the deepest parts of his mind.


	2. Thieves, Kings and Queens

The next time he woke up, Kai was chained in a cart, surrounded by metal bars. His mouth was stuffed with a cloth and wrists chained together by handcuffs. His light armor was missing, but the stone still secured on his neck. He groaned, blinking more than once to clear his blurry vision. He saw the creature from before sitting on the ground, green, blue and purple energy radiating around its body, forming words of an old language, which Kai wasn't capable of speaking. He assumed that the words the creature muttered were in said old language, sounding fluent and soft. 

Like the gentle waves of the Mourn-ok lake under the watching eye of the twin moons in a cloudless night. It was a soothing sound which enchanted Kai more and more. He felt like he was trapped in one of Siren’s songs, caught in a fantasy that had been once forgotten.

The master thief snapped out of the illusion as his chains suddenly started to glow and runes settled on them with a sharp his.

With a silent cry of 'Fuck this, by the love of all kingdoms!’ Kai tried to teleport away, only to have his powers blocked by the chains. The sudden painful shock that circulated through his body made him cry out, stopping his powers.

He kicked the bars in frustration, earning the attention from the human like creature. It turned around and Kai found himself staring into dark, lazy eyes and a friendly face. It was actually male, at least Kai assumed it was, because those aren’t girly features, my dear....

The young man let out a musical whistle and only seconds later a second being stumbled on the clearing. With much happiness, Kai noticed the other was a human, short but a good build figure. He waved his feet, brows raised in an annoyed manner.

The newcomer gave the creature around the fire a small smile, then stalked over to Kai, his armor leaving heavy steps on the ground. The crest indicated that he was part of the royal army of Kallas, the golden dragon holding a teardrop in its claws. It was a sign of peace between the two kings.

King Yifan and his husband Zitao had been favored by the late king, despite the public opinion to make his younger brother Junmyeon crown prince. They had negotiated for a long time, with the outcome that the country of Kallas would be reigned by two kings, split into Kallas, western of the Mourn-ok Lake and Kellas, eastern of the Mourn-ok.

Both brothers had hardly any arguments and ruled as if they were one.

"Greetings." The human said, his hands resting on the hilt of his sword, a warm smile on his lips. Kai scoffed again, but nodded his head, even when it was a mocking way to greet the other human. "My name is Suho and I'm really glad to see you, Shadow Hunter." Kai turned his gaze away, trying hard to think how to escape.

"We won't sell you out to the government, if you agree to help us with a great task, given by the kings." Kai cracked an eyebrow in response, curious, whether he should accept or ignore the guard. "We want to fight the dark army." The guard casually mentioned, opening the door of the cart in which Kai was held. The thief almost choked when he registered what the guard just said, staring incredulously at him. Suho kneeled down in front of Kai, the guards hands neatly folded in his lap.  
"Oh, stop being dramatic. It's not that this would be Kallas first war. I was just friendly asking you to join us, your power of teleportation is a great strategic advantage." Kai just turned his head. He would rather die than be involved in a war with that country.

"We will give you some time to think. The guy over there is Yixing a healer and scholar of the ancient languages. A mage for the lack of a better term and my mate. The others are awaiting us in the city." With a curt bow, Suho stalked over to his mate, brushing a lone strand of hair from the mages forehead. Kai scoffed, then laid down, ignoring the lovey-dovey pair by the fire and the cold that crept up his clothes.

 

The next morning was pure torture.  
Kai was freezing under the thin blanket Suho had provided him with, his thick furs lost on the other side (like Kai called the dimension, where he could wander around). Suho looked just as cold, the temperature had really dropped drastically overnight.

After a meager meal, Suho had questioned Kai ones more, what he would choose, whereas Yixing had watched with an amused look on his face, while crouching next to the fire. Kai had mentioned that it wasn't worth risking his life for a country that had made his life go down the drain and Suho had argued back that he would do everything to avenge Kai's family, as long as he would follow them.

They had bickered for some time, until the hoarse cry of a phoenix disturbed them. Suho had drawn his sword in seconds, watching nature's every move and sound. Kai had just stared at the majestic creature burning the sky as it took off towards the south. Yixing had hugged his mate, frightened look on his face.

"They will be alright. Luhan has the Southern City under control. No Chantem will hurt them. Trust me." The mage seemed really distressed, a look Kai hadn't seen in years on someone’s face. Of course he had scared some people with his appearance, but none of them looked like they would pass out from the thought of him alone. A fear that came from the core of one's being.

"Your decision. Now." Suho ordered and Kai gave the mage a last look before he shake his head.

"I don't agree." Suho was about to protest, but Kai stopped him. "I don't agree, with the terms you gave me. I don’t want just a bit of gold. I want to live in a palace, I want a horse and I want a signed amnesty for all my crimes." Suho's eyebrows furrowed, before he smiled gently.

"Of course, everything comes with a prize. We will provide you with everything needed." Kai smiled back. His eyes glinting mischievously at the thought of all the riches he could make.

Yixing gave Kai one of the horses, the luggage vanishing in the cart. It was a cute thing with big, brown eyes and spotted fur. Perfect in Kai's opinion, even if he didn't voice it out loud, too afraid to seem like a wimp.

Yixing noticed anyway.

 

The city they were headed to was actually the capital of the twin country. Kai had wondered where his powers had got him to, but this was far beyond his imagination. He had never even been in the near of Timevalis, too afraid to get spotted by the many mages and guards wandering around and patrolling the sacred city. In Kai's opinion, Timevalis was a hellhole thieves were afraid of. A thief would rather risk to be in Richen, the only city left to the border of Decantures, hiding from those gruesome Chantes, than trying his luck in the wealthy streets of Timevalis.

Despite Kai feeling like passing out from the thought of getting captured in the capital city of Kallas, it was truly a magnificent piece on earth. High, snow-white towers were sprouting from the ground everywhere, the Kingdoms crest embedded in the just-as-white city walls. Even the outskirts were clean and provided enough shelter from the cold. Cherry trees were lining the alleys, blooming even in winter thanks to the many mages that resided in the city. Lanterns were illuminating the streets in need of light in form of small, crystal balls. True to everyone’s word, Timevalis was the most beautiful city ever seen.

They neared the white rampart and the Guards were saluting in front of Suho as soon as he came near the huge gate. 

"Open the gate for the Guardian!" Someone yelled and Kai then followed the mates inside, his gut telling him to get the fuck out of this city or you will get hung!  
Not even Suho's promise could make Kai feel better. The guards were patrolling in any street, at least one mage with each unit. It was an unpleasant sight for the thief. His whole life had been spent in the shadows, he had almost never slept at night, always at day. Now, it was almost sunny outside, people running around the streets, some stopping to greet Suho, others skillfully sliding through the masses. Kai was anxious around the guards who greeted Suho with wide smiles. This didn't feel right, especially not when they neared the palace.

"Where do you think we're going?!" Kai hissed, pulling his hood up. He shouldn't have trusted this man. He was already reciting the poem of the Little Thief in his mind.

A stealthy thief,  
Silent as night  
Sneaks in the castle,  
Without much fright

He searches far,  
He searches wide  
A loud scream  
No place to hide

The King found out!  
Now he will see!  
The thief tries running  
Will they hear his plea?

The guards caught him,  
His pockets full.  
No doubting him  
His eyes turn dull

Kai focused back on Suho, glaring at the guard with the meanest stare he could come up with.

"Home." Suho just said, giving Yixing a longing look. "We're going to my home. King Yifan will most likely want to meet you. I promise you that he won't do anything." Kai eyed the mage then under his hood, his blue eyes drilling into the other's armor. If he thought he was in danger, he would be gone, before one of them could even blink.

The guards at the front gate of the palace were hurrying to open the gate, not even questioning them. Kai continued to bore his eyes into Yixing's head. Something was fishy and Kai felt more than uneasy about that.

Chained to the wall,  
He needs to worry  
Is there a friend  
That has to hurry?

No one there  
No one would grief  
It’s just him  
A little thief

"Stop starring Kai. It's getting on my nerves." Yixing said, the first time that Kai heard him talking. The master thief glared only harder in response.

They stopped at, what seemed like the entrance to a garden and descended from their horses.

"Myeonnie~!" Something screeched and the next second Suho was lying on the ground, a tall guy hugging him tightly. "Myeonnie~ Some Chantem broke into the Southern City... I'm so scared~" The guy whined and Kai suppressed his laughter. Who the hell behaved like this? That guy was at least as old as Kai himself. He then spotted something gold on top of the guy’s head, a small smirk starting to form on his lips.

"We have guests. Behave Tao-yah!" Suho hissed through gritted teeth. Kai smirked sexily at the guy, who self-consciously straightened the tiara on his head. He was rather cute. Dark circles around his eyes and a feline, but shy smile on his lips. If he weren’t a queen, Kai might have considered spending the night with him.

"Uhm... I'm Wu Zitao, Queen to King Wu Yifan. M-My pleasure to meet you!" The guy- the country's queen- said, resisting the urge to bow.

Kai smirked again and the visible blush on Tao's cheeks was adorable in the thief's eyes. He strode over, his steps calculated and seemingly lazy.

"What a beautiful being you are, my majesty." Kai greeted, bowing and kissing the queen's ringed fingers, two of the golden jewelries disappearing and reappearing in Kai's back-pocket with a silent ‘poof’. "I must say that the King is truly lucky, to have such a beauty as his mate." Kai swirled one of the queen's locks between his fingers, brushing past the tiara just so softly. It disappeared nonetheless from the queen’s head.

"Stop that, Shadow Hunter. Tao, be more careful." Suho said, whacking Tao's head. Kai pouted then teleported away from Tao, the tiara twirling on his finger. It was really valuable. The stones were made by the finest dwarf's hands and the decorations made by the best goldsmith. The huge ruby in the middle was, if the thief wasn’t mistaken, from Decantures deep mines. Kai's mouth watered at the thought how much money he could get by selling this. He could retire and never had to lift a finger again.

His bubble popped when a blade pressed into the skin of his neck.

And there they came,  
His face all pale  
With a blank sword,  
Here stopped your tale

"I assume you are the thief my brother brought with him?" Kai just nodded, a smile on his lips, not that it was sincere, but more of a hopingly calming gesture as the hairs on his neck stood up. "Then I do hope you return the stolen goods to my queen." Kai held his hands up, the tiara poofing back on Tao's head, the same happening to the rings.

"Turn around." The voice behind him said and Kai did as told, getting greeted by a giant of a man, with an angry look on his face. The sword pointed at Kai's, now throat, held the kingdoms crest at the hilt. The same crest was engraved in the crown on the man's head.

"What would bring the infamous Shadow Hunter into our kingdom? More so, into my palace? You won't try to tell me that this guy will help in war, will you?" The king said, one of his oh-so-perfect eyebrows arched up as he spoke to Suho. The guard shrugged his shoulders and Kai allowed a small glare to slip past his façade before he answered on his own.

"Well, my lord, you see, that is exactly what I am here for. I never knew, that Suho, my savior and the reason for my sudden change of mind and reformation of my principals, is one of the two kings of Kallas. I-"

"Quit the shit-talk, Shadow Hunter. We all know you are only here for your own benefit." Suho said, Yixing helping him taking of his armor. Kai shot the guard (King) another look, before he smiled awkwardly at the (other) King.

"I do try to help. We negotiated for some time and I’ll keep my part of the deal." Kai then lied admitted, seeing no use in fully lying to the King. Like hell I will fight in a war…

The sword was lowered nonetheless and the angry look dissolved.

"Then welcome in my castle. You get two days for preparation, on the third we will already travel to the Southern City, since we were asked to help settle things there. Please call me Kris." The King nodded his head in his brother’s direction, then stalked of, Tao on his heels, chattering lively.

What was that?

"Shadow Hunter." Suho waved his hand in front of Kai's face and the thief blinked a few times to get back to reality. "I think we should officially introduce ourselves." Kai nodded, ignoring Yixing's heavy gaze on him. Suho smiled widely, then bowed his head curtly.

"Well, I am King Junmyeon. Second king to my brother King Yifan. I am the one responsible for political issues. You know me under my alias Suho and I'm also known as the water guardian, because of my affinity to control liquids. I’m currently reigning over Kellas, while my brother keeps Kallas in check." Suho introduced himself and Kai bowed just out of self-preservation reflex. It was unusual for him to meet royalty and most of the time, they were after his head.

Having Suho to talk to him as Suho, was different than talking to King Junmyeon. Kai couldn’t explain it himself, but it just fucking felt different.

"Uh, I'm Kai? Better known as the master thief Shadow Hunter. I do not have family, nor any noteworthy acquaintances. I'm not a mage, but was born with the gift of teleportation. I don't think I'm human either." Kai scratched his head, then shrugged his shoulders. He didn't care for his origins. His powers had helped him a lot in his life, so he was more than thankful for them. Suho smiled again, his hand intertwined with Yixing's, who smiled shyly.

"I'm Zhang Yixing. A healing mage and scholar of the ancient language. My family was murdered by a Chantem and Suho took me in when I finished my training period in Eastruth, many years ago. I'm his mate and a queen and I hope we get along." A dimpled smile was shot in Kai's direction and the thief couldn't help but smile back at the male.

Maybe this wasn't as bad as he had imagined.


	3. Meeting the Girly

The two days were over before they even really started.

Kai had the time of his life. Waking up to maids dressing him, his body having rested on the softest cushions and under the most expensive fabrics. His armor was polished and a small crest was now resting, hidden on the inside, on his gauntlets. His robes were gotten rid of, new ones out of better leather now hugging his lithe body. His boots were also gone, replaced by thick cushioned socks, which didn't make a single sound on the ground. The only thing that stayed the same were Kai's knives, none of the weapon smiths were able to make better ones.

Kai laid awake most nights, wondering how he ended up in Hiramshiral, the name of Timevalis’ castle, and what happened that day he tried to teleport. The pain he felt as the ringing sounded in his ears was still fresh in his memories. After much thought he would call it more of a high-pitched scream. He waved it off as his imagination, but he may have heard his birth name between all those screams.  
The stone was still secured around his neck and Kai didn’t take it off. He forgot about it even.

But the days went bay in a rush and now Kai found himself teleporting provisions to the other side, his petit horse already standing proudly next to the big warhorses of Suho, Tao and Kris. 

Yixing was seated on, what looked like a fluffy dragon. Its four legs were pretty short, two small feathery wings attached to its side. It was toothless and its claws were practically non-existent. It had puffy white paws like a kitten and some stray light grey scales could be seen between its soft strands of fur.

"That is one weird being..." Kai muttered and Yixing just smiled, petting the creature’s short neck. "She's a Nanom. They live between the southern and middle nations up in the mountains, because they love the humid summer days and the cool winters. They are pretty rare, but very loyal beings. If you get close with one, it will never trust another rider. Her name is NomNom." There it was again, that dimpled smile, which made even the sun look sad in comparison. Kai just had to smile back and then bestrode his horse, waiting for the royals.

Kris came then, with Tao glued to his arm and Suho talking to one of his advisors, obviously annoyed. They bid the castle goodbye and Kai just fell behind, watching the two mated pairs chattering and shooting hearts at each other. 

Disgusting....

 

It took four days to reach the outskirts of the Southern City. Four days, in which the temperature had risen drastically and the group was now surrounded by green trees and buzzing insects, shielded from the burning sun by gigantic leaves. NomNom was possibly the only one who enjoyed the weather. The Nanom was jumping around and trying to catch the insects with her little, short claws.

The forest they traveled through, was growing on mountainous terrain. The trees were high and competing with the rugged hillsides. 

The Southern City was a rather small one, at least compared to Timevalis. Its houses were made out of wood, colored by gentle earthy tones or white as they hung in between the branches. Bridges were connecting the small huts and decorated by delicate railings. The people wore light robes made of silk and satin. They were held in browns or greens, some, Kai assumed richer people, also dressed in blues and yellows.

The master thief had noticed the burned smell from afar, but until they could see the angry people carrying burned pieces of wood out of the city after another, he didn’t dare to speak about his observations.

The wood was burned by red energy. A gruesome gift from the Chantes. It was like a marker. Everyone would know who’s at fault if those vine like rifts were burnt into wood. Yixing visibly shuddered, squeezing Suho’s hand and a scared whine leaving his mouth.

The City itself was still standing proudly, a girl dressed in a light blue robe shouting at some guards who were lazing around and didn't help with the reparations of the outskirts. Suho and Kris were looking at each other, then started laughing. The girl noticed the newcomers and Kai held back a snigger, when he saw, that the girl was actually a guy, his facial features misleading. The angry look on girly's face dissolved as he ran over greeting the two royals with a small bow.

"Suho, Kris. I didn't expected you to come so soon." the guy's gaze settled on Kai, before he smiled softly. "I see you got another one." With that he showed them to follow him inside the city. Kai watched the people greeting Suho and Kris, some queens gifting Yixing and Tao flowers. It was a friendly city and despite the burned houses on the outskirts, nobody looked really afraid.

"Hey." Kai was startled when girly suddenly walked next to him, his thoughts lost at watching the many huts in the trees. "I'm Luhan, the major of the Southern City. Nice to meet you." Luhan gave Kai his hand, a sincere smile on his face. Kai smiled back, shaking the hand firmly. "Kai. Master thief." He greeted back and Luhan laughed.

"I know." With that the girly was gone and back on Yixing's side, leaving a dumbfounded thief behind.

 

The six of them were seated around a long table in the garden of the major's house, an awning taut above them. Luhan had ushered the maids away, before he announced to the staff that they don't want to be disturbed.

"I assume you came because of the Chantes?" Luhan said, sipping on the steaming hot tea in his hands. Kai recoiled. It was way too hot to drink tea.

"That's right. We saw the phoenix taking off from Eastruth. We had never imagined that they would get this far to the south." Suho said, his thumb brushing softly over Yixing's knuckles. The mage looked deathly pale since they arrived in the Southern City.

Yixing is probably not suited to fight against them. Maybe I should help out… Kai thought for a moment, but soon squatted the thought away. Like hell he would fight in a war, surrounded by dying people and with those creepy beasts the Chantes were riding.

"They arrived a week ago. Two riders from what we gathered, another three guards, one prisoner. Six in total, not counting the beasts." Luhan sighed deeply, a frown starting to form on his brows. “We killed two of the former five guards as they sneaked around the city. They were just scouts, as we couldn’t kill the riders, sadly.” Luhan hissed. “I want those beasts out of my city. Who knows what they will do to my people.” Suho nodded affirmative.

“Of course. Our greatest concern should be the safety of our people. Did anyone get hurt when they attacked?”

“No. I foresaw the fight and evacuated in time.” Suho hummed again and Kai briefly wondered what powers Luhan might possess.

“Should we take care of them?” He then asked Yifan, who snapped out of watching Tao with hearts in his eyes.

“Y-yeah.” He just said, then returned to stare at Tao, while Suho rolled his eyes.

“This is why Suho is handling most of the political affairs.” Yixing whispered into Kai’s ear. The thief chuckled slightly.

“I noticed.”

Luhan cleared his throat subtly, getting the attention back on the topic. “There’s something else." Kai raised an eyebrow, curious what would come now.

“They’re torturing one of their own kind.” At this Kris leaned back, seemingly surprised.

"Where did you get that from?" Kris asked, his hand massaging his neck.

"When I spied on them, I saw them torturing the prisoner. They came all this way, because they could kill him here, able to put the blame on Kellas and not getting their hands “dirty”." Kai grimaced. Torture was never on good terms with his stomach. Not since he saw his father… never mind.

"What should we do then? We can’t just run in there, maybe the prisoner would be willing to help us, since his own people turned against him.” Kris said, tugging Tao on his lap.

"Still spying on the enemy." Luhan answered. The major's gaze then fell back on Kai, who looked slightly uncomfortable. Luhan's gaze was sharp and knowing. Kai glared at girly, tuning out the conservation. He was still tired from the journey. He just wanted to change out of those stuffy robes and take a nice bath and then sleep in soft cushions. The Chantem could just go down the drain. Not that Kai cared about such a foul creature.

"Kai, can I talk to you for a mom-"

"Major Luhan we are in trouble!" A loud voice boomed through the garden, a guard running towards them. He bowed hastily, and the major returned the gesture with a nod. "They have two prisoners. One of them is human, by the looks of it." The soldier said, his voice strained by his erratic breathing.

"What happened?" Luhan asked, standing up. The tall guard cleared his throat shortly, starting his report.

"We overheard the human talking to the imprisoned rider. They are in a close relationship, by the looks of it. The Rider is severely injured and probably won’t survive the next days. The Chantes want to use the human as a bargaining chip, which means torturing one of our kind, if the other prisoner doesn’t give an important gem to one of the guards. We couldn't hear more, because the human could see us, despite our illusions."

Suho was standing by now, Kris clenching his fist in anger. Kai was watching everything with his blue eyes. They couldn’t let the human get hurt. The Chantem was not his concern, the human was.

"We will attack the camp tonight." Kris suddenly said, beckoning everyone over. "Since Kai is new, everyone will shortly explain his powers and then we will plan our attack. I will start. I can control dragon fire and are able to turn into a dragon myself. Next." Luhan placed a hand over his heart, a formal greeting in the southern regions of Kellas.

"I'm telepathic. I can read your thoughts if I want and connect our minds and receive dreams from the future." He then kicked Tao, gently, under the table and the queen smiled dangerously at the major, before he started to talk.

"I can manipulate time. It's helpful but very draining. Suho and Yixing had probably told you already what they can do, so let’s just start planning." The Queen clapped and then the team started.


	4. Freeing the Prisoners

Kai was seated next to Luhan, tightening the strings on his armor. He checked his knives, then vanished shortly to the other side, before he reappeared next to Yixing.

"Everyone ready?"

Luhan's voice sounded in his head and then a chorus of affirmative hums filled Kai's own. It was disturbing to have so many voices filling his head at once. Kai feared the incoming headache.

"Let's do this..."

Kai teleported right to the border of the Chantes' camp, sitting on a branch of a tree, hidden by big fluorescent leaves.

The camp was held easy, but gruesome. There were three of those flying beasts and two tents, as well as a cart made out of bars. One of the beasts was bound by strong chains, it's pretty dark blue scales dirtied by dried blood. The other beasts were snapping at the poor thing, a small whimper leaving the blue one from time to time.

The Chantes were walking in and out of the tents, their dislocated figures only shadows in the dim light of the almost dead and red, but ice-cold fire.

They were similar to humans. 

Arms, legs, mouth, nose, eyes. 

But at the same time oh so different. 

Their heads had horns sprouting from between their steel-like strands of hair. Claws, silver and long, were flashing like polished blades in the dim light. Kai watched with cruel awe, as one of them spoke, a range of hisses and growls leaving the creature's mouth. Their teeth were like small needles, their tongue split like a snake’s.

Kai held back a gag, as the wind turned and the foul smell of the beasts penetrated his nose. He watched the cart, his vision used of living in the darkness of the night. It was occupied by two people, one hunched over the other. The thief’s eyes were glowing slightly, as he teleported right into the cart, his hand on the human’s mouth in an instant.

He shushed him, seeing that it was a boy not older than seventeen. A small glance towards the Chantes who were seated around the fire was enough for the thief to silence the kid with a glare.

The boy held the other prisoner's unconscious figure close to his chest. The being was the imprisoned Chantem without doubt, the tips of his horns protruding under his black hood. His robe was ribbed in several places, showing the burnt and beaten flesh. It was a disgusting sight, seeing the bruises blooming on the creature’s pale, greyish skin.

"I'm here to help. We will get you away from them, don't worry." Kai patted the boy's head, then carefully lowered his hand, his voice a mere whisper.

"I'm Sehun. Please don't hurt him, he's my mentor and my only relative." The boy gestured to the unconscious and hurt Chantem in his arms. "He did never hurt anyone who didn't deserve it and he will never hurt someone from this kingdom. I promise! Just don't hurt him and Paws." Kai shushed the boy when his voice started to get louder, frantic.

"I assume Paws is the chained beast?" The boy nodded, tugging the hood of the Chantem further down, as if afraid Kai could see the creatures face. Like I would want to…

"I will tell them, don't worry. If you hear voices in your head, that's me and my... team. We will get you out, alright?" With that Kai vanished again, teleporting back to the others.

"We are allowed to kill everyone, besides the blue beast and the other prisoner." The others nodded.

“Free the beast. Yixing, you’ll stop it, if it attacks us. The Chantem will get placed in a guarded room, the other prisoner too.” Kris commanded.

“The boy is barely seventeen Kris!” Kai hissed at the king. Sehun had looked like he could pass out any minute, skinny and with chapped lips. Besides, the boy smelled like a queen. A very frightened one at that.

“By the love of all Kingdoms, than let him run around freely, but the Chantem stays under observation.” Kris threw his arms in the air with a sigh.

“Thank you.” Kai muttered, teleporting away.

Then, they launched their attack. Kris were the first to appear. His dragon form was engulfed in bright flames as he lured the beasts and their riders away from the camp.

The two Chantes had reacted with a loud screech, shouting in their hissed language at each other, before they bestrode their beasts and followed Kris. They were trying hard to fight against the brooding flames that had engulfed the King, but needed to retreat fast, as their scales started to burn like dry leaves.

Kai ripped his gaze away from the battle that took place high up in the air, making the sky burn, and turned his attention back to the camp.

The other Chantes were now on alert, but one still got hit by a strong blast of water, drowning successfully. Suho had drawn his sword, spheres of water surrounding him. He looked like an unmovable guard, his small stature seemingly growing and standing protectively.

He was facing the Chantem heads on, ready to counter every attack that came his way. The Chantem had also drawn his sword, a gruesome blade with spikes on it, a just as threatening red energy dripping from it like blood. Kai shuddered, then grabbed Yixing and teleported him into the prisoner’s cart, not able to watch the red any longer.

The mage was shaking slightly, but hid it under a strong façade.

“Nothing will happen.” Kai whispered into the mages ear, before he turned to Sehun.

"Sehun, this is Yixing. He will stay with you, while I try to free Paws, alright?" Sehun nodded shortly, hugging his mentor tighter. Kai teleported to the branch again, watching Suho engaged in a battle with the second guard.

Tao was now also standing in the camp, a wooden staff in his hands. The queen looked threatening, his usual childish aura gone and replaced by something fierce. Kai sighed deeply, when he spotted the third and last guard, approaching Tao with calculated steps, the same red energy dripping from its daggers. For now, Kai had to focus on the blue beast.

He teleported right in front of the beast's enormous skull. The smell wasn't as bad as he had imagined it to be, and the tried and dull eyes of the creature made his heart ache. He bowed deeply in front of the azure being, patiently waiting for its approval. Please don’t kill me…

"I'm here to free you and your rider, as well as the human. Please, let me help." The beast huffed, its wings twitching under the strong chains. Kai understood and was fast to pick the heavy locks.

It was straining, because of the sheer size and amount. 

Almost everything was chained together, the creature’s huge wings riddled with holes. "Sehun calls you Paws, right? You're so different from what I heard about your kind. You don't smell and your eyes aren't cold. Your Rider passed out, yeah? You will have him back soon, I'm almost done, alright?" Kai chatted with the being, mostly to calm his own nerves.

When the last chain fell, Paws started to shake its body, slowly standing up. It was a majestic view. Deep blue and turquoise scales were moving like gentle waves with every muscle flexing under them. One of those huge wings were almost as long as the creature itself, while it's six legs straightened up. Soft Hair was sprouting along the creature’s spine, lighter in color than its scales.

Kai watched in awe, when the being bowed its head in front of him, before it took off to the sky, strong, brown claws leaving furrows in the dirt. It fought the same battle Kris was engaged in, azure flames burning the other beasts’ wings.

"Kai, we're finished." Suho said from the teleporter's side and Kai followed their line of sight, where Tao beheaded the last guard. Kai nodded, then teleported to Yixing and the two prisoners.

"They're gone. Let's get going." Sehun almost toppled over in relieve as he was led out of the cart and Suho had a hard time catching the falling kid.

Kai had stealthily teleported into the tents, rummaging through bags and boxes. He stole some jewelry, stones and gems in many forms and colors. Some reminded him of the stone that hung heavy around his neck. 

Just as Suho opened his mouth to ask where he was, Kai returned with a poof. An innocent look took over his features as Suho watched him strangely. “Is something wrong, Suho? Shouldn’t we return?” 

The guard sighed, smiling tiredly. "Yeah, let's go."

 

Yixing broke out in tears as soon as he saw his mate again, kissing Suho right there on the spot. The King was laughing into the kiss and pulled his queen closer, before he returned the kiss with the same eagerness. Tao and Kris were also in their own world, both hugging each other tight. Sehun was walking on Kai's side, his eyes fixed on his Mentor. 

The Chantem reeked of blood and burned flesh, his robe ripped in several places, as it slid down the mentor’s thin body. Sehun had asked Kai to never remove his mentor's hood, saying it was a very old tradition, not many still followed. Kai had assured the kid several times that he wouldn't remove it.

He was low-key annoyed that he had to carry the creature back to the city. The Chantem was probably some murderer. Kai might be a criminal, but he had never murdered. It was against his principles to take one’s life without reason and trial.

 

They had settled the Mentor in one of the free rooms in Luhan's mansion, Sehun demanding to stay in the same room as his Mentor. They had to comply, when the Chantem's beast growled at them, eyes glowing in a light blue, almost white color. Yixing had treated the Chantem's wounds with shaking hands, some of the flesh burned and some other skin heavily scarred. Kai had just shook his head in disbelief, while Sehun looked generally worried. 

"Will he be alright?" Yixing smiled gently at the kid, hiding his fear of the creature, which laid under his hands. A pentacle was building between his hands as he forced them to stop shaking. He let it hover carefully over the worst wounds, as they healed slowly. 

"He will. Did you know that your Mentor is rather old, Sehun? Do you know his actual age?" The kid nodded carefully.

"He told me once, but I can't tell you his age. He forbid me to." Yixing ah-ed and then promised Sehun that he wouldn't ask for his age again. 

"Then can you tell us his name?" Luhan asked, brushing a lone strand of muddy hair from the boy's forehead. Sehun blushed, the pink color prominent on his pale and sunken-in cheeks.

"I-I don't know. He was always just my Mentor." Luhan hummed in response, not forcing the obviously lying kid.

He then asked Sehun if he would like to take a bath, promising clean, scented water and bright candles to illuminate the room. Sehun had agreed to bath, when he could be sure, that his mentor was finished with his treatment and everyone had left.

Kai had said good night a lot earlier, the numbness of his limbs from the sheer amount of teleporting settling in. He slept like a stone that night.


	5. Of Green Blood, Bastards and a Sschress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Namik is like 5 minutes, small candles enhanced with magic ^^

"What are they doing?" Kai asked with a yawn, as he caught the apple Suho threw at him. "Training. Sehun said he should continue his tasks, even when his Mentor is still not awake." Kai arched an eyebrow. That kid shouldn’t be training. He had just been rescued from those creatures. Kai sighed, then turned his attention back to the two.

They were seated outside, watching Sehun fight with Yixing. The mage was surprisingly skilled at fighting, always the right spell at hand. Sehun had a beautifully decorated fan in each hand, seemingly dancing around Yixing's spells and dissolving them with a small flick of his wrist. Small breezes of wind emitted from his moves, and a small gesture with his fan would make them to deadly gusts, that were leaving furrows in the dirty ground of the training field, slicing the dummies in half.

"He's deadly." Kai commented. Luhan plopped down next to him, his amused smile not leaving his face. 

"He said his mentor gets him in less than one Namik." Kai choked on the apple in his mouth, coughing out bit of it. "One Namik?!" He watched again as Sehun swirled smoothly through the air, before he managed to pin down Yixing, his fan on the others throat.

Tao clapped loudly, while Sehun bowed in front of Yixing, apologizing for treating him so roughly. Yixing was laughing, as he stood up, brushing the dirt from his clothes. They came over to their audience, Yixing's arm around Sehun’s waist.

"This kid is awesome. His trained his life to control the movement in the air, a flick of his wrist is as strong as tornado." Yixing praised and Sehun blushed hard. "It's nothing..." He mumbled, making everyone laugh.

"Are those fans even dangerous?" Tao asked. "I mean, I've only seen them on parties." This time it was Sehun's turn to laugh.

"They are. My mentor beheaded an Sschress with them." Sehun admitted shyly, while the others shared confused looks.

"What is an Sschress?" Luhan asked, his brown eyes fixated on the kid. "Uhm... Paws is an Sschress. It is their kind’s name." Sehun stuttered, while blushing almost purple. Kai laughed and kicked Luhan's chin slightly to make him move away from Sehun.

"Let the kid breath." He said, and Sehun shot him a thankful look.

"Why did your Mentor call him Paws?" Tao then asked with a curious tone in his voice. Sehun smiled faintly, his gaze flickering to the Sschress lazing in the sun.

"First of all, Paws is a girl. Secondly, her whole name is Dirtpaws and I was the one who named her. I couldn't pronounce her real name, so I settled on something obvious." Sehun stood up, asking the others to follow him. He woke the beast with soft strokes on her head, then told her to stand up. Paws complied, even though she was still not fully awake.

Sehun was standing next to her front legs, which were only a bit smaller than Sehun was tall, hauling one up.

"See? Her scales are becoming brown towards her feet. That's why I called her Dirtpaws. Mentor was okay with the name, because her real name is really, really hard to pronounce, but I think if you translate it, it would mean something like 'The cold justice of the bleeding moon’s right hand'. The Chantes language may sound harsh, but it has beautiful meanings." Sehun said, letting Paws alone, but not before he patted her furry neck.

"That truly is a beautiful meaning." Kai muttered, the words sounding awfully familiar.

"It is right? I feel like my name isn't even close to be as worthy."

"Don't say that, your meaning is just as beautiful. You pointed out something special on her." Sehun smiled faintly at Luhan’s words, a smile that widened when Paws nudged his back, nuzzling her head in his embrace.

"How about some training, kiddo? Do you think you can take me down?" Kai asked, sensing the change of mood. Sehun nodded eagerly.

"You can teleport, right? My Mentor can move so fast, that it looks like he is dissolving in thin air. Sounds like a nice challenge." Sehun was already taking his stance, fans still closed, but senses on high alert.

Kai smirked, then got two of his knives, his gauntlets hugging his lower arms tightly. He channeled his powers, feeling his eyes starting to glow bright blue. Sehun was patiently observing, ready to strike.

Kai made the first move, attacking from the front. He observed Sehun's smooth movements, as they swirled around each other like dancers. The clashed a few times, some sparks emitting from the metal of Kai's knives as it came in contact with the metal skeleton of Sehun's fans. As Kai looked at the others, he noticed the awed looks on their faces and the impressed sounds leaving their mouths.

Sehun started to become irritated. He had never fought against someone so fast, someone who could move through space just as swiftly as him or his mentor. With a low growl, he unleashed his power, the air flicking from his fingers and pushing against the thief's robes.

Kai teleported away, leaving Sehun standing alone on the training grounds. He observed Sehun from the other side, ready to strike. The kid was watching his surroundings attentively, expecting a blow from behind or from the sides.

Kai then entered the real world again, falling on Sehun's shoulders from above. The black smoke from the other side was making the kid cough harshly.

As the smoke dissolved, Kai had pinned Sehun to the ground, the latter’s own fans threatening his throat. "You're good, but try to expect everything next time." Kai smiled, then teleported on the wooden roof of the porch.

He had already another apple in hand, when the azure beast suddenly woke and Sehun stood up, his gaze pointed at Kai's direction, even though he shouldn't be able to see him. He turned around, to see Sehun's mentor brushing past under him, steps heavy and figure stiff. The Chantem walked as if he was never injured, his whole posture screaming authority and his way of walking was like he had served in military his whole life.

Sehun was fast to stand up, bowing deeply in front of his mentor. The Chantem stood still for a while, before he hit Sehun on the head with the back of his gloved hand. The Mentee yowled in pain, toppling over and right into the Chantem's arms. Luhan was already on his feet, ready to pull the kid away if the Chantem decided to hurt his mentee further.

Their mouths fell open when the Chantem embraced Sehun in a tight hug, patting the human's head with his gloved hands. The stiff posture fell more and more, as Sehun seemed to explain what happened. It was weird, hearing the harsh language of the Chantes leaving Sehun's mouth.

Kai then jumped down, brushing the dirt and leaves off his loose robes, before he advanced towards the pair.

"The others would want to know that he's awake." Luhan commented. “And send someone to tend the guards in front of the room. He knocked them out.”

Tao was fast to go.

 

An uncomfortable silence started to surround the table and Kai fidget on his seat, unsure what to do. Suho and Kris were sitting in front of the mentor and mentee. Sehun was looking at Kai, his gaze speaking the nervousness Kai felt. They had seen that the Chantem was still very much injured, as he needed Sehun to support him while standing, yet alone walking.

The whole table held their breaths, when the Chantem spoke up, his voice thick with accent. The 'r' was a growling sound in the Chantem's throat, the ‘s’ a sharp hiss that send chills down everyone's spine. "I asssssume, that you'rrre the onesss, that sssaved usss?" Kai jolted at the deep voice that sounded awfully familiar. As so many things that day.  
But Kai didn’t fucking know where he knew them from.

Kris cleared his throat, Tao intertwining their fingers. "You assumed right. I'm-"

"Then I will rrreward you generrrroussssly. What isss it, that you desssirrrre?" Sehun looked almost ashamed at his mentor's bold tongue, interrupting the King himself.

"We do not desire a reward. Only information." Suho's eyes had narrowed, voice cold and distanced, only his tight grip on Yixing’s shaking hands giving away that he was capable to feel. The Chantem hissed in Sehun's direction as the kid tried to say something.

"Inforrrrmation isss yourrrr reward then." Kai could swear he saw green flash in darkness of the Chantem's hood. "I do not play gamessss, Wu Yifan, Wu Junmyeon, Kingsss of Kallasss. I will not fight a warrr againsst my own kind."

"That we never told you to do. We want our cities to be safe. Decantures is taking it too far. My country isn't safe anymore, since the King of your kind started attacking our lands." The Chantem leaned back, playing with the seam of his gloves.

"I don't sssee any benefit for myssself. Thisss rrrotten landsss can die forrrr all I carrre." Kris looked like he was about to jump at the Chantem, the whole table shocked and some even disgusted by the Chantem's words. Kai found himself grimacing. He may not care for the country that much, but the creature’s words were too harsh. The people didn't deserve to suffer like this.

"Mentor!" Sehun hissed out, shocking almost everyone on the table at the sheer volume of his voice. His mentor just turned his head towards him, and Kai saw this time the green flashing brightly. Two glowing points in a void of darkness.  
Sehun cowered in front of his mentor's stare. Mumbling something in the Chantem's language. The table was once again stunned silent, when loud laughter erupted from the Luhan's throat.

"You know how to play your game, don't you?" He asked the Chantem between his laughs. The creature laughed silently in return, his shoulders shaking a bit. He patted Sehun’s head, the gesture full of affection.

"Of course I do. Do you really believe I would trust you, just because you saved me? Ha, stupid people. Why should I help you, if I don't even know your devotion for this country? The respect for another culture and an individual’s choice?" The Chantem scoffed, the accent gone from his voice. Sehun looked relieved, smiling brightly at his mentor.

"I'm truly sorry for my harsh words, King Yifan, King Junmyeon." The Chantem addressed the stunned Kings, respectfully bowing his head. "I will provide you with as much knowledge as possible, for a single request of mine." Kris blinked a few times, while opening and closing his mouth. Suho took over in seconds uttering the Chantem to speak his request.

"I want what is rightfully mine." Sehun tensed at those words and Kai watched in awe as the Chantem took of his right glove, holding the palm of his hand up.

A bright pentacle was glowing green in the inside of his hand. Runes of ancient languages were imprinted in the white flesh, a low gasp of surprise leaving Yixing's mouth.

"I want the throne of Decantures."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uwu, I've left y'all hanging, didn't I? I'll post the next few chapters that had already been out on aff now and then I might also add the new one, when I decided on the Sulay interlude or the next Kaisoo...


	6. Do Kyungsoo

"I want the throne of Decantures."

The table was stunned to silence as the Chantem put his glove back on, totally unimpressed by the gaping faces that were looking in his direction. Kai saw how Yixing's head worked, before the mage's eyes went doubled in width. He watched between the two Kings and the Chantem, then he let out a loud gasp.

"The green blood!" Yixing was grabbing the Chantem's hand already removing the glove again. His fear seemed to dissolve in a mere moment as he studied the pentacle, turning the hand up and down. The green glow was pulsating and Sehun watched his Mentor's every move, as if asking what was going on in the creature's head.

"Suho, we need his blood back on the throne and our country will be safe." Yixing earned a low noise of protest from Kris and the others, but Suho silenced them with a wave of his hand.

"Explain first how you come to such a conclusion." He gave his mate a fond smile. Yixing was silently asking the Chantem for permission, his own actions dawning on him. The mentor just nodded softly under his hood.

"You saw the energy that the guards back in the camp emitted, right?" Everyone nodded their heads, even Kai started to pay more attention, averting his eyes from the maids that shuffled in the gardens. 

"Normally, every Chantem has the red energy or ‘Mrschk’ at his command. There are however some exceptions. There are the ones, who can control blue energy, the ‘Nurr’. Powerful mages with a deadly and rational personality. They control the dark winters and freezing snow. They were massacred about a hundred years ago, because of their power.” 

There was a low growl coming from behind Yixing and the mage turned around to see Dirtpaws emitting sheer hate at his words. Her rider stood up with ease, whispering something into his Sschress ears.

The dragon-like beast calmed down, burying her head in her rider’s arms. Kai could swear he saw the sadness in the beast’s azure eyes.

“You can continue, healing mage.” The Chantem said, his voice silent as he continued to stroke Paws head. Whispering silent comforts in his Sschress ears.

Yixing looked a bit shaken, some hidden fear in his eyes as he watched the pair interacting. “W-well, until a few generations ago, a bloodline with green energy, ‘Zsakik’ was leading Decantures. They were called green bloods, the purest Chantem's you could find. Their countries Purebloods. They had a close connection to the flora and fauna, some of them able to even turn their bodies to leaves and travel with the wind. You still follow me?" 

Suho was the only one to voice out a yes, while the others were staring at the Chantem, who picked the silver claws on his fingers, still standing by the Sschress.

"Their reign ended as two brothers were born, one with red energy, a bastard in the family’s eyes. He was the black sheep of the family. When he heard that his younger brother would be the one who would inherit the throne, despite the old tradition of the oldest taking over, he decided to kill his brother, to finally end the green blood, which he hated with his whole being. So, with no other option, the older brother became king. His hate and the missing connection to the country's lands were turning the blooming country into ruins. The Brother’s family had since reigned over Decantures, his descendant trying to start a war with us." Suho hummed, a frown visible on his face.

"I know the story, father told me once. But what has our….guest to do with this all?" The Chantem commented a 'Nice choice of words' as he sat back down and Yixing let out a frustrated sigh. "How can you be all alive with the little amount of knowledge you possess?" Yixing grabbed the Chantem's hand once again, almost making the being fall as Yixing held the glowing mark up.

"He is a descendant of the green blood! How can you not see it? His whole palm is glowing green!" Yixing threw his arms in the air in frustration, plopping back down in his seat.

"Your healer is right. I'm indeed of the royal blood and I intend of rebuilding my country to its most beautiful form. You may know Decantures as a dark place, where fire destroys the ground, where poverty is ruling over the streets. The country I knew is filled with riches, jewels from the finest arts, ones even dwarves are lusting for. Our ground was filled with green, trees, which stood there from the beginning of time, sprouting high up in the air, dragons and Sschress calling them their home. It was once so beautiful, you wouldn't see anything more magnificent." The Chantem's voice was faint and Kai felt a sharp tug at his heart.

The being sounded almost pitiful as he described the country he lived in with so much feelings in his voice. The love and utter devotion for how it once was and the pure hate and disgust as he spoke how it was now. Kai recoiled. Nice show you’re putting on there…

"Didn't you say the last of the purebloods died by his brother's hand a few generations ago?" Tao asked and Yixing nodded. "Then how can you," He pointed at the Chantem. "Say you know how Decantures once looked like? You couldn't have be possibly born then." Sehun let out a snort and his Mentor whacked his Mentee's head again, hissing something in their language.

"I'm older than you might think. My connection with the nature makes me almost immortal." The Chantem let his eyes flash green once again, the glow startling most of the people at the table. This time Kai was the one to snort. Like the glow was frightening in any sense.

"But my family line aside, why don't we introduce ourselves? I hardly know your Kings, much less their queens or the other people on this table. My gut tells me that you," he pointed at Luhan, "are telepathic. Maybe also the fact that you noticed my pretended accent. There is King Yifan, who is a dragon, inherited from his mother's side. King Junmyeon who is a hybrid of a water nymph and his human father the late King. We have a healing mage, whose name I don't know. And you." The Chantem gestured to Kai, those green lights fixated on Kai's figure, while the thief just dumbly pointed at himself.

"I don't understand your being. You seem human at first glance, but when I watch you further your being starts mixing and swirling, it makes me nauseous." Kai scoffed offended. Sorry that I'm special....

Kai scoffed again, then turned his attention back to the others, where Luhan just finished introducing himself. Everyone turned to him and Kai just stated his name and power. Pouting, Sehun looked like he wanted to smack him.

"You could have told us more." The kid grumbled, only to flinch at his Mentor's raised hand. "Sorry, sorry. Just saying. Anyway. I'm Sehun and I'm 17 winters old. I was abandoned at the border to Decantures a few years ago and my Mentor took me in. I have a talent for wind manipulation and am good at fighting with my fans." Sehun smiled brightly. Kai saw the short hurt in the younger’s eyes, as he spoke about getting abandoned. Once again the whole attention was on the Chantem.

"Well, I should really introduce myself. Ha, so bothersome." The Chantem sighed shortly.

"My name is Do Kyungsoo, Crown Prince to Decantures, declared dead by my deceased brother Do Seungsoo.”


	7. Traditions have a Reason in Decantures

Night came, the mansion's residences slowly falling asleep, besides two brooding beings.

The crown Prince hadn't said another word regarding his lineage, regardless of Yixing's constant pestering or Suho's advances to seek more information on how he survived. Sehun had calmed his mentor down, after he had lashed out on Luhan for asking the wrong question. The mentee had suggested a flight on Paws, to calm the nerves and feeling the wind again, an underlying suggestion in the tone he used.

The reaction came instantly and the Chantem was gone, before someone could have stopped him.

Some of them (read: Tao) tried to get answers out of Sehun, but the kid had glared so darkly at him, that he was visibly shivering in fright. Kai had scoffed at the queen's behavior, munching on some sweets Luhan had brought him. He should have known that the major didn't do it to be friendly.

"Say, Kai, what do you think of roommates?" Kai, enticed by the sweet taste of the candy, had just mumbled some incoherent things like 'not bad' and 'could live with it', his voice muffled by the treats in his mouth, which tasted divine by the way.

"You see I don't have enough rooms for us and the staff, so I thought about rooming, two of us sharing a room." Kai slowly stopped eating. This didn't feel right.

"I want all the mates together. Sehun will room with me, because he is a queen and I have taken a liking in him. You are okay with that right?" Kai had nodded, not knowing he just signed a contract with the devil.

"Then you will room with our little crown prince." With that the major left, leaving a stunned thief behind. Rooming with that Chantem? Oh, Fuck no!

 

  
"Forget it. By the will of all Kingdoms, I object to get roomed with another being I don't even now!" Sehun sniggered lowly at his Mentor's furious voice.

"Come one, Mentor. Kai isn't that bad. He wouldn't dare to take advantage of you." The Prince hissed sharply at Sehun, who vanished instantly in Luhan's room, with a rushed 'Good night'

Kai watched with amusement as several curses left the Chantem's mouth, in several languages. The Chantem was pacing around and Kai decided he wouldn't gain anything from this, so he got rid of his clothes, ready to go and sleep with just his pants on, when a loud squeak came from behind him.

The Chantem had one his hands pressed over his face, the other pointing accusingly at Kai. The thief watched his surroundings, searching for something that could have offended the creature in any way. When he found nothing he carefully stepped closer to the being, lowering the accusing finger.

"Somethin’ wrong?" He asked and the creature ripped his finger away, turning around stiffly.

"How can you just undress like there aren't other people in the room? Do you like displaying your body that much? Are you a whore? Dress properly!" Kai stood dumbfounded as the prince hissed at him.

"I don't see anything wrong in sleeping like this.... I do sleep around, though, -I must say that I think my body is pretty hot- but whoring? No, I just give women what they desire.” Kai answered with a grin, rolling his upper body in a sexual manner. 

The prince just kept quiet, probably waiting for Kai to get dressed. Annoyed, Kai circled the prince, whose stiff posture didn’t change. 

“Sehun mentioned a tradition. Is it because of that?" Kai asked with an irritated frown, crossing his arms over his naked chest. He was not curious, as he told himself, he was annoyed by the snobbish prince. The latter stiffened even more, his arms crossing too.

"I was brought up with the tradition to keep your body for your mate only. I will only show myself when I have mated and it's a shame to show your face in front of strangers." The prince stated firmly.

"That is stupid. You practically enslave yourself to the tradition just so that your mate will have something pure later. Besides, I think you and I will share a room for the next few days, maybe even weeks. Better practice early to show your body, ‘cause there will be moments when we will have to undress." Kai rolled his eyes, scoffing loudly. He didn’t expect anything else from those freaky creatures.

"It's not stupid. It shows the devotion we show for love and that we do not tolerate people only loving by the appearance."

Kai thought about it for a moment. He just couldn't see devotion. For him it was like taking away one's freedom. "Look, I don't have to understand your believes, nor your traditions, but as long as we share a room, you will have to live with the fact that I will not sleep with a shirt on by this heat. I can't even believe you didn't die in those robes already." With that he jumped on the double bed, turning away from the angered Chantem.

He respected traditions, but he would not bend down to their will, as long as he didn't believe in them himself. Maybe the prince was just ugly and afraid of his future mate to be disgusted by his appearance. Kai had to hold back a gag when he remembered the grotesque features of the Chantes. When the Crown Prince looked the same, yeah no wonder they had this tradition. Kai turned his head slightly when the bed dipped on the other side, the Chantem sitting right in his line with the bright moon, the light illuminating the Chantem's figure dangerously beautifully.

The prince then let go of his outer robe, the heavy leather falling from his shoulders and revealing a black garment with a delicate pattern of flowers on it, which lessened as they neared the hood.  
Kai turned around fully, wanting to stop the prince right then and there. He did not want to see those hideous features just before he went to bed. As long as Kai was allowed to do what he wants, the prince could keep his robes on, thank you very much. 

But when the prince took of the loose garment, Kai’s will to stop the creature died down.

As the hood fell, Kai found himself greeted by beautiful milky skin, the bruises from the day before gone without a trace, just some bandages left around his torso. The only color on the Chantem's skin was a tattoo of some blue and green vines, which curled around his shoulder and neck. Kai's gaze wandered up the prince's back, deep black hair was cascading over his shoulder, held by a forest green hairband.

Two horns were decorating the being's head, swung backwards and held in a light grey, the tips dipped in silver metal, which formed into vines that trailed down to the base. Two rings were pierced through the Chantem’s right horn, clinging like little bells every time he moved his head.

When the prince turned around Kai was truly enchanted. The soft featured face was so perfectly shaped, the skin clean and white. Kai's eyes were wandering from a pair of plump, soft and heart-shaped lips, up to a cute button nose and then locked with the most gorgeous eyes.

They were wide and round, long black lashes surrounding them, like the coal woman liked to wear around their eyes. Green pupils were glowing slightly in the dim light of the moon, watching Kai with such a tenderness, that he didn't want to do anything else than hiding those beautiful features under a hood again. There was this small tattoo under each eye, following the soft skin down like a curled line. 

"Do you understand now?" The prince asked, moving slightly to get his leather grown, taking out a small piece of fabric and clipping it over his mouth and nose. A loose blouse following after.

"I do." Kai breathed, still awed by the Chantem's beauty.

"We don't play with love. If we love once, we will love forever. Appearance is something cruel. The nicest being can be ugly in the eye of the public and its loved ones will leave. But if you hide your appearance, people will love or despise you for your character." Kai nodded, not taking his eyes from the Chantem.

"I'm sorry for calling you a whore. I lived too long with nobody but Sehun by my side, that I forgot that most don't practice this tradition any longer." Kai smiled faintly.

"It's alright. I couldn't possibly imagine your reasons." The prince smiled too, and Kai felt his heart flutter as the green eyes turned into perfect crescents. He understood why this being relied on old traditions. Everyone would fall for his looks, not his character.

"I hope you know that you are bound to become my mate now."

Kai froze, the shattering sound of a destroyed illusion could be heard in the background as he blinked several times. Mate. Chantem. Bound to become the Chantem's mate.

"WHAT?!"

The prince's loud laugher could be heard in the whole mansion.


	8. Interlude: The Bleeding Moon I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Information for this Chapter, regarding the Chantes Language:
> 
> Since I already mentioned that despite the harsh sound, their language is respectful and has beautiful meanings. Therefore I decided to give you the important meanings for this Chapter.
> 
> Rrassrezk: Sacred Mother (Mom)  
> Rrassricc: Sacred Father (Dad)  
> Sreh: Wise Brother (Older Brother/ Hyung/ Oppa)  
> Srah: Wise Sister (Older Sister/ Noona/ Unnie)  
> Rzkreh: Precious Brother (Younger Brother)  
> Rzkrah: Precious Sister (Younger Sister)
> 
> Please remember that the ‘r’ is pronounced like a growl and the ‘s’/ ‘z’ like a hiss.  
> Also, I do not hate on Kyungsoo’s real brother in any way. I needed a brother figure and having a name at hand was easier for me to use, than thinking of a new one with the ending Soo. I believe Seungsoo is a nice and caring brother and that he loves Kyungie very much (/.\\)

The twin-moons shone brightly on the forest, being the only witnesses to the scene playing in the fluorescent forest below them. The big trees were illuminated by the blue and white light their leaves emitted, small insects and lizards hushing over the glowing branches.

In the middle of a meadow, a lone figure knelt. The male had his head bowed, long black hair falling in lone strands over his shoulder and cascading on the blue pulsating ground beneath him. His pale skin was glistening with sweat, white bandages covering his abdomen and a piece of fabric covering his face.

In front of him stood a warrior made of stone. His body clad in a granite armor, his sword pointing at the kneeling person to his feet, as if ready to strike. The stone warrior’s face was detailed, his wide eyes narrowed to a hateful glare, his heart-shaped lips pulled into a menacing smirk, full of derision.

Silent whispers and pleas filled the air around the two figures, the kneeling one holding onto the others stoned armor like his life depended on it.

“I’m sorry… Sreh…Don’t do this…Let us talk…” The harsh language of the Chantes spilled from plump lips, so identical to the warrior’s ones. Wide, green eyes were ripped open in fright of the memory torturing the kneeling prince.

The stone started moving as the prince took a deep inhale, his breath shuddering and his eyes slowly closing. “Again!” He shouted, taking a stance further away from the other, his hands starting to glow brightly with green energy. A short dagger formed in the prince’s hand, black stone flashing in the bluish moonlight.

He wouldn’t lose again. He couldn’t lose again. The responsibility for a whole country weighted him down. He wouldn’t let his people live any longer in that cursed lands. He would free them, even if it meant to kill.

“Again!”

The two figures clashed with springing sparks and screeching sounds of stone against stone. The prince was whirling his weapon around him, merciless hits getting blocked by a sword with delicate carvings on it.

His long hair winded itself like vines around the stone warrior’s hands, holding him in an iron grip. A too known memory flashed once again, immobilizing the prince in his steps.

____

“Sreh!” A young Chantem giggled, running up to his older brother with waddling steps. His face was hidden by a white mask with golden features. It looked too big on the child’s small face, who tripped over his own snow white robes.

“Sreh! Rrassrezk allowed Kyungsoo to decorate his horns with Sreh’s cravings!” The young child jumped into his brother’s arms, hugging the older Chantem tightly. His brother laughed, pampering the child’s head with kisses.

“Did she, Rzkreh?” He asked, wide smile on his face, while he placed the younger on his hip. They strolled through the gardens, the maids that crossed their way were bowing in front of the two princes.

“Kyungsoo would like vines like the ones Sreh grows in the gardens! And Sreh’s rings!” The child exclaimed, pointing at the green and blue vines curling around the trees. His chubby fingers had small, little claws on them, the silver only hinted in a slight hue.

“Do you now?” The younger nodded, his mask sliding up and down on his face. His brother chuckled and grabbed the kid’s sides tighter. The young Chantem then screeched in delight, as his brother started tickling him.

“Seungsoo.” A woman’s voice sounded from behind the two brothers, her cold tone destroying their playful banter. “Hyejin-Rzkrah.” He answered just as coldly, holding the youngest sibling tightly to his chest, bright smile gone from his face.

“I heard the bastard will get his horns done today.” She spit, glaring at the child in her brother’s arms. Her blonde hair was decorated by black and red feathers, golden pins holding it up and the gold around her horns visible by the tips. She was barely two years younger than her older brother, but respect was something she had never learned in her life. She hated her younger sibling with passion, him being the perfect child everyone loved, even though he couldn’t even control Zsakik.

“Stop calling him that, Rzkrah. He is just a child and did nothing to deserve your hate.” Seungsoo held onto his brother’s shivering figure, the small child terrified by his older sister’s presence. She had hit him so many times, left him standing alone in the middle of the market, made him do dangerous tasks. He was afraid of her like he was of no other person.

“I will call him the name he deserves. He isn’t Mother’s child, not like us. He can’t even control a tiny rock.” Hyejin glared a last time with her sharp green eyes at the small boy, who bit his lips harshly to stop himself from bursting into tears. The girl was gone before any of the two brothers could say anything else. 

Seungsoo cursed her in his mind, holding his little brother tighter to his chest.  
“It’s okay Kyungie-Rzkreh. She won’t harm you as long as I’m with you.”

\-------

The prince ripped himself from his thoughts, cutting through the warrior’s arm with his dagger. He separated the arm from the stone warrior’s body, kicking the body away with a strong kick.

He stood panting watching as the stone molded back into shape, a vicious smirk playing around the warrior's lips.

He wouldn’t lose.

\------

Luhan heard the faint sound of clashing weapons as he woke with Sehun secured in his arms.

The major was startled by the noise that penetrated his ears, the agonizing thoughts that filled the air around him were depressing him with every second he had to listen to them. The self-hatred and fear was turning his stomach around. What being could feel so negatively?

A lone tear escaped his eye as the sound stopped and the pain in the being's thoughts doubled.

There was a faint voice calling in an unfamiliar language, before the sound of clashing weapons continued.

Luhan stood up, tugging the kid in his arms back in, then took his cup of herbal tea and followed the sound and the pain that lingered in the air.

He was met with a mesmerizing sight.

A small, perfectly shaped figure was clashing weapons with a stone soldier, his pale skin glistening under the dim moonlight. Two grey horns were sprouting from the creature's head and Luhan found himself face to face with the Crown prince of Decantures.

Prince Kyungsoo had his green eyes narrowed to a calculated gaze, his whole being focused on the soldier in front of him. Luhan saw the pain in those eyes and his protective side couldn’t help than infiltrating the prince’s mind to see the source of Kyungsoo’s pain for himself.

\------

Luhan found himself on a wide field, a, what seemed like, younger version of Dirtpaws lazing in the bright sun, a horse tied to a tree. Two figures were sprawled under the big leaves on the grass, both in clothes a farmer’s son would wear. One had his face covered by a grey fox mask, his black hair tied in a ponytail. His grey horns identified him as the prince, whose mind Luhan had just entered. 

Suddenly, the other person, a chubby cheeked boy with blue eyes and white hair, jerked up, his white horns decorated by small bells.

“My prince!” The boy exclaimed shaking the crown prince awake. “My prince we must hurry!” The white-horned boy was already up on his feet, rushing to Dirtpaws’ side.

“Seokkie?” The Prince mumbled not really awake. ”What’s wrong?” He asked the panicking male.

“You have to attend the meeting in a few!” With that the prince was up on his feet, rushing after the other. 

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” The horse wasn’t even saddled as the prince jumped on its back, digging his heels in the mare’s sides.

“I forgot, My Prince! We must hurry if we want to be on time!” The other settled on Dirtpaws back, already taking off.

Luhan felt himself pulled to the prince’s side, watching with sad eyes as the prince laughed freely at his butler’s panicked expression. Kyungsoo couldn’t be older than Sehun was now, an age full of mischief.

They entered the busy streets of the town, probably the capital of Decantures.

“Yah! Yah!” The prince shouted, galloping through the people while he tried to shoo them away at the same time. He earned some curses and angry threats from the people he nearly ran over. He careered right into a cart full of fruits that toppled over in the process.

“I’m sorry!” He just shouted back. “Ask the palace for a compensation!” And he vanished at the castle walls. Luhan couldn’t help but laugh sadly. The prince seemed like he had been an outgoing person. A free creature without doubt.

Luhan found himself in the prince’s quarters next, his butler trying to get him to wear some white robes, the grey mask replaced by a white one.

“I don’t wanna! Seokkie!” The prince whined as the other tugged the hood of the prince’s robes down.

“Hurry my prince!” ‘Seokkie’ scolded, rushing the prince out of his closet. 

Another laugh escaped Luhan’s throat. He had never thought of the prince as a queen but he was just the witness of the whiny side queen’s normally showed. They would get pampered with a lot of affection and Luhan knew that in Decantures white was their color.

There was a knock on the door and the prince rushed to the newcomer. Luhan recognized him as the same person as the stone soldier.

“All done Kyungie-Rzkreh?” He asked and the prince threw himself at the other’s side. “All done, Seungie-sreh!”

“Thank you for holding up with my brother, Minseok.” The butler bowed deeply, a blush decorating his cheeks. “I will always, Crown-prince Seungsoo.”

Luhan stared wide eyed at the two brothers who held each other tightly. This wasn’t what he had expected their relationship to be like. Wasn’t Do Seungsoo the bastard of the family? Wasn’t he the one who didn’t inherit the green blood? Shouldn’t he loath his brother?

Luhan felt himself falling as the scene changed.

Screams filled the air around Luhan, until he fell on cold stone tiles. Deep red eyes stared at the wall in boredom. He could see Seungsoo sitting on the throne, a silver cage standing next to it. 

Kyungsoo was chained inside, his body beaten and bruised as he was forced to sing with a broken voice. His clothes were torn and a dark piece of ripped fabric covered his face. One of the rings on his horns looked like someone had tried to rip it out, a small crack running down to the base. Seungsoo got a cane that stood next to his throne and harshly stabbed his brother in the ribs.

“ENOUGH!” The King barked, and Kyungsoo fell to the ground, holding his sides.

“Stupid.” His brother spit, kicking through the bars. A yelp escaped Kyungsoo’s throat as the king stepped on his fingers, cracking sounds filling the silent throne room. 

“HYEJIN!” The king shouted and a woman entered the scene, watching with scared eyes as the younger brother withered on the floor. Luhan had rushed to the young Chantem’s side, wanting to hold the being in his arms. The woman had the same defeated and broken look in her eyes, as she turned to the king.

“Yes, my King?” She asked, her head bowed.

“Tell the guards they can have fun with him tonight.” The woman nodded, biting back tears as Seungsoo licked her earlobe, his pointed teeth scraping over her neck. “And then come to my room, my mate.”

Luhan wiped his tears that threatened to spill, as he saw the dull green eyes under the cloth, numb and void of feelings. The two siblings ignored each other’s presence, Hyejin only looking shortly at the younger prince’s beaten figure, before she went out. The King gave a devilish smirk, as his brother didn’t respond to any of his taunting words. Slurs were thrown at Kyungsoo, most of them implying what would happen later when the young prince was given to the guards.

Luhan couldn’t watch any longer, leaving the prince’s mind with a heavy heart.

\-----

The major barely dodged the dagger that was flung his way as he opened his eyes again.

The crown prince had his blade dangerously close to Luhan’s throat, Kyungsoo’s heavy panting filling the small space between them. His eyes were narrowed to deadly slits, the stone soldier beheaded behind him. The dagger formed slowly into a ring of a sharp blade, spanning tightly around Luhan’s neck.

“What a pleasure to see you here, mindreader.” The prince hissed, mock friendliness in his voice and the growling accent hiding in his throat.

“I’m sorry, if I disturbed you.” Luhan calmly said, watching with sad eyes how Kyungsoo stood protectively for himself.

The major had to remind himself that Kyungsoo wasn’t a queen like Tao or Yixing. They would have started to cry as they were confronted with memories like this. Kyungsoo wouldn’t. He would stand his guard, fighting his way out of the darkness in his mind. He would never seek help in the arms of a king.

“Oh, are you now.” The prince mocked, the ring around Luhan’s neck getting tighter. “Are you also sorry for invading my mind?” Luhan gave a short nod, not even caring about the cut that formed on his throat.

“As a king I was naturally concerned about your emotional health. My instincts let me act before thinking it through. My sincerest apologies for invading your mind.” The prince removed the ring around Luhan’s neck with a slightly teary gaze and the mind reader found himself at loss for words. The being looked so lost and hurt, as Luhan pulled him instinctively in a tight hug.

“You know mindreader?” The prince whispered, his voice suddenly full of venom, so different from what he had looked moments ago, confusing Luhan even more.

”You aren’t the only being who can play with the head.” Luhan found himself reliving his past from his birth to this night, his breath coming out in short gasps. He turned his head and fell in a void of crimson blood, as he met the crown prince’s eyes. “I mastered the gift of forgetting long ago. Let’s see if you can win against my barricade.”

With that Luhan saw the last few moments dissolving, leaving him without knowing how he went to the forest, alone in the middle of the night. Only a tray of withered leaves rushing past him with the wind.


	9. Morning Talk and Mid-day Bets

Kai stirred. His dream of green eyes and white skin was starting to get lost in the deep pit that was his confused mind. He groggily opened his eyes, blinking a few times, then snuggled his head back into the pillow on his chest.

This is how Kai likes to wake up.

Body resting in soft cushions, the mattress stuffed with fine feathers. A cold, squishy pillow pressed to his chest (something really nice considering the heat), a thin blanket still covering his body and a queen’s sweet scent filling his nostrils every time he breathed in.

Kai heaved another sigh, snuggling the pillow closer to his body and slinging his legs around it. That’s when his eyes sprung open.

The pillow was breathing.

Slow, steady huffs of air where leaving the pillow’s black cover. Kai looked down, his eyes widening. The lost crown prince of Decantures was cozily snuggled into his chest, his long, black hair spread all over Kai’s arms and chest. The cloth over his face had slipped down over night, revealing the porcelain skin and long mid-night lashes.

Only now, Kai noticed the thick pair of eyebrows over the prince’s wide eyes. They probably make him look authoritative…

Still, the prince looked beautiful in Kai’s eyes, something the thief actually didn’t want to admit himself.

After the impromptu revealing of Prince Kyungsoo’s face yesterday evening, they had talked for some more time and Kai had actually enjoyed the being’s company.

‘The prince and the thief- How to get involved in a war’, that’s what Kai had named their lives from now on and their… acquaintanceship, for a lack of a better term. He would write a book about it once he made his biggest loot and didn’t have to work anymore.

The prince stirred now as well, yawning cutely, before settling back into Kai’s chest. Kai was about to pull away, but the prince let out a threatening growl.

“Don’t you dare…You’re warm and I enjoy warmth.” Kai shook his head dumbfounded, entangling his legs. Prince Kyungsoo responded with another hiss in his language, hugging Kai’s arms to his chest.

The thief had the creepy illusion that Kyungsoo’s hair was winding itself around them.

“I said, don’t you dare. As the Crown prince of Decantures I command you to lay with me and share your body heat.” Pictures of naked, entangled bodies filled Kai’s mind and a smug grin played around the his lips.

“I do still not intend to mate with you, my prince.” Kai mocked, but started to choke as the hair slung around his neck and tightened his hold. He repeatedly hit the prince’s shoulder, incoherent noises leaving his mouth.

“And I already told you it was joke to lighten my own mood. I do not believe you are a capable mate of mine. You’re neither human, nor a Chantem. My bloodline would be ruined.” Kyungsoo released Kai a bit, his hair falling limp around the thief’s throat. The latter took huge gasps of air, coughing out a few times, much to the others entertainment.

“I swear I would even do breathplay with you my prince, but you would be on the receiving end.” Kai pulled himself together, wriggling his eyebrows, despite being highly offended by the comment. The thief liked being special, a specific kind of pride swelling in his chest whenever it was mentioned, but the prince had nothing better to do than bashing his pride. 

The prince huffed, pressing his face to Kai’s chest. “I will not mate with you. I cannot allow my bloodline to die out.” There was something pained in between those words, as if the creature was really afraid of his bloodline getting extinct.

Wait. Now that he thought of it. Weren’t they the bad ones? Hadn’t it been the family who made that one person an outcast? Wasn’t the family at fault for not accepting and hurting the ‘bastard’ as he was labeled? Had Kyungsoo taken part in the whole ordeal?

“May I ask you something?”

“Sure.” Kyungsoo yawned.

“What was your relationship to your brother?” Kai carefully studied the Chantem’s face. Kyungsoo was obviously surprised by the question, shoulders tensing shortly, a sad smile playing around his lips.

“My brother and I had never really problems with each other, until he… until he got lost in his hate for our family.”

The prince was talking in a quiet voice, eyes downcast as he played with the seam of Kai’s trousers.

So Kyungsoo hadn’t taken part in discriminating his brother. Kai felt oddly relieved at the fact. He didn’t know if he could handle to look at the prince, if the male had been a bully. Why should he? Kai hated royalty (Suho and Kris were okay, okay?) and that they thought they were something better than everyone else. Most of them didn’t care for their people, if it didn’t gain them any benefits.

“Did you know that Sehun is praising you every time he opens his mouth?” The Chantem asked in return, obviously trying to avoid the subject.

“Does he now? What’s so special about me?” Kyungsoo shrugged in response, rolling on his back.

“He thinks you could take me down in a fight.” Kai stared scandalized at the prince.

“You don’t believe I could take a skinny, little queen like you down?” 

“Of course not. I’m probably a lot older than you are and a direct descendant of the great blood. Nobody has beat me in a fair and hardly in an unfair fight.” The prince said smugly, while shrugging his shoulders again.

“I bet I can take you down.” Kai muttered standing up.

“Prince Do Kyungsoo, I, the master thief Kai, therefore challenge you to fight against me, so I can show you what being beaten looks like.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes twinkled with amusement as he stood up, too, whipping his long hair back. He took a stance right in front of the thief, arms crossed over his chest. He didn’t look the slightest bit concerned that Kai could actually beat him, fueling that little flame of annoyance in Kai.

“I accept. Let’s go all out, Kai.” The prince continued to stare smugly, as he clad himself in his robes, the little rings on his horns clinking together a last time, before the sound got muffled by the heavy hood.

Kai smirked as the Chantem left the room, the obvious sway of a queen’s step in Kyungsoo’s ones. His eyes traveled lower to Kyungsoo’s bottom. With a lick of his lips, Kai decided to clad himself. 

Yeah, he was more than ready to beat the prince’s snobby (but hella fine) ass, an anticipating smirk on his face.

 

“Do you think this was a good idea?” Tao asked concerned watching Kai and Kyungsoo circling around each other.

They were back on the training field, Sehun, biting his nails in excitement, while the rest of them looked slightly worried. If what Sehun said was true, the two would probably destroy the rest of the city rather than having a winner.

As Luhan was not able to foresee the fight- he came down with a mean headache overnight, leaving Sehun to fret over him in the morning- nobody knew if they should stop this before it even started or if it was better to let the two settle their dispute. Yixing was absent from their group, claiming he was more interested to study Dirtpaws, while it was obvious that he didn’t want to see the Chantem fight. Nobody judged him for that, his fear of the creatures was obvious.

Kris was shushing Tao with a kiss, both watching with hidden amazement as Kyungsoo removed his gloves, his hands starting to light up in green energy. Kai’s eyes also started to glow blue, smoke emitting from his figure and hidden blades gleaming dangerously.

They were really going all out.

Kai could feel the rumble in the earth beneath his feet, observing as Kyungsoo crouched down, his silver nails flashing in the midday sun. The thief couldn’t help but think how much more fun this fight would be in the dark, where everyone would be unable to see anything despite the dangerous power surrounding the two.

A low rumble spilled from Kyungsoo’s lips, the sound getting more feral by the moment. They pranced around each other in slow steps, as they didn’t take their eyes off each other. 

Kai was slightly taken aback as Kyungsoo started to put one of his silver clawed hands on the ground, but was fast to react as a spike out of solid stone emerged from under him. He jumped away, before he threw an accurately aimed knife at where Kyungsoo had been crouching moments ago.

Their fight had officially begun.

Both of them were aiming from the distance, Kyungsoo’s swaying and seducing steps turned into a run on all fours, his claws leaving deadly furrows in the soil. Kai was aiming knife after knife, never losing count on how many he still had left, while he escaped the spikes, which were trying to impale him.

If he had just looked away for a second, he would have noticed the open mouths, frightened faces and amazed looks that could be seen mixed on the audience's’ faces, but if he did, he would end up losing. And that was something he wouldn’t grand the prince.

They were reducing the distance between each other, getting ready to fight hand to hand, while still aiming to at least make the opponent minder their speed. Both were already only blurs of moving bodies, so that someone who was not trained in fighting, wouldn’t be able to keep up.

It was no use. None of them was able to at least scratch the other, before they forcefully collided.

Kai had two of his golden knives out, their sharp ends getting blocked by Kyungsoo’s long claws. Kai observed that they were solid like metal and that Prince Kyungsoo was still rumbling in his language.

They pushed away from each other, both not letting their focus slip for a second.

Kai had to teleport the first time, when Kyungsoo made a web of spikes appear directly beneath the thief. It was an ugly move, solely focused on finding out more about the powers Kai could possibly hide.

The thief had to smirk as he entered the real realm right above Kyungsoo, almost scratching the Chantem, if not for the trail of bright green leaves getting carried away by the wind. He harshly fell to the ground, making a roll to the right, to get away from the shifting dirt beneath him.

Kai assumed that the sounds that spilled from the beings lips were actually words in the Chantes cursed language. 

His thesis turned out to be right, as the ground where Kyungsoo had prior dug his hands into started to tremor and then move like water.

The waves of sand and dirt were crashing at Kai all at once, but the thief was faster than that and disappeared with another small poof into the other dimension.

He channeled as much smoke as he could get, before he appeared right in front of his opponent, choking Kyungsoo successfully with the smoky substance. The prince dissolved quickly in a heap of leaves, their margin leaving a small, but deep cuts on Kai’s cheeks and forehead.

The thief returned the gesture with tearing one of the green petals in half with his blades. Kyungsoo solidified in a mere blink, a deep wound on his right arm. The Creature glanced for less than a moment at his wound. A moment in which Kai teleported on Kyungsoo’s right and injured side.

Already having victory in mind, Kai was more than shocked, as he hardly escaped the blade of a black dagger that was swung his way.

He took his stance a bit further away, glancing ever so slightly at the flashing black weapon in Kyungsoo’s hands. It was made solely for the purpose of tearing the opponent apart. Sharp barbs twinkling blood-hungrily in the hot mid-day sun.

Kai narrowed his eyes to a glare, having enough of this game of guessing what would happen next. He wanted a head-on-head fight right in this moment and Kyungsoo seemed to be on the same page.

The master thief replied to the feral hiss thrown his way with a mocking smirk. He had long taken his stance, the shadows whirling like snakes around him. 

Kyungsoo was standing now, his blade looking beautifully murderous.

This was going to be the funniest part of their fight, Kai noted with a wide grin.

They clashed with sparks, both set on winning their fight. Kai was immersed in getting to know Kyungsoo’s more unguarded spots, while the prince began to slow.

His breath was heavy, green entity around him flickering. Kai’s smirk grew in width, as his blade ripped a part of Kyungsoo’s rope open. It was satisfying seeing the cocky prince becoming more tried as the moments rushed by.

In less than third a Namik, Kyungsoo was struggling hard to keep up with Kai’s speed, stumbling over his own furrows in the soil. The thief was ruthless, still high on the prospect of winning the bet.

It ended with Kai on the dirty ground, vines holding him in place and Kyungsoo’s face mere inches from his own.

He didn’t know how it happened. Just that in a blink of an eye, his feet were pulled away by those vines, flipping him over. He had separated them, but was immediately grabbed by others and pinned back down, while Kyungsoo moved faster than ever before. 

He had played with Kai’s wantonness. 

The black dagger Kyungsoo wielded was pressed against Kai’s neck, both breathing heavily into each other’s ears.

“It’s a tie.” Kai replied with a smirk nodding his head to Kyungsoo’s chest, where his last golden knife was pointed at the prince’s heart.

“It seems like it.” The prince replied, mirroring the smirk on the thief’s lips, green eyes glowing in the dark void of his hood.

“Won’t you release me?” Kai asked annoyed, pressing the tip of his knife just a tad tighter to the prince chest. The Chantem laughed slightly in return, pressing a heated kiss on Kai’s lips, before retreating.

Kai lay there dumbfounded for a while, staring after the dangerous queen, who was walking back inside the mansion, Sehun hot on his heels. The prince had just kissed him with those luscious lips, which were soft like petals and tasted like the sweetest strawberries.

Kai blushed furiously, one hand on his lips.

He did have his fair share of girls in his 20 winters of living (working at a brothel as a guard to earn his daily meal was a part of his past he would always rather fondly thinks of), often engaged in some sort of sexual intercourse. Having a queen meant to mate with the first intercourse, so Kai kept everything at bay in that department. 

Besides, Kai wasn’t a guy who looked for a happy family.

But the prince… He was annoying and snobbish and just so freaking frustrating. And yet, Kai was more than just intrigued with the creature.

He was excited for what was to come.


	10. What to do?

After Kris’ boisterous laughter snapped the thief out of his rigidity, none of his temporary companions had granted him a break. They kept teasing him by making kissing faces in his direction. Kai had flicked his finger at them, shoving Suho, who had become a rather good companion, roughly to the side. Even Yixing had the nerve to wink at Kai after Suho had told him what happened. 

As he watched Kyungsoo interacting with Sehun like nothing happened, his former annoyance with the prince had returned. With a heated glare, he had strolled past the two queens. Making sure his pheromones as a king, were noticeable. 

With satisfaction, Kai had noticed that Kyungsoo started to shake as soon as he was around the corner. His hands holding on to Sehun, who looked more than lost at his mentors weird behavior, for comfort. Interesting… So the little prince is still just a queen...

Kai wasn’t even fazed by the fact that Sehun wasn’t as shaken just as much as the prince did. 

The thief wore a small, victorious smile on his face for the rest of his stroll. The city was visible from where he stood in the gardens. The tips of the treehouses were poking out from the green sea. Some stalls for messenger ravens were standing on high branches. The Southern City was bristling with life. People running in between the trees on the main “roads,” stone bridges which connected the houses, or balancing over the smaller wooden ones. 

The picture made Kai feel oddly out of place.

As Luhan, who seemed able to move again, had sent a guard to let him know that he had to attend the meeting in the evening, he decided to return to his room early. Since Kai was still dirtied by sand and leaves, he had just wanted to take a nice and long bath until he had to actually do something. 

The bath had done wonders to his sore muscles and frustrated mind. 

His abilities took a toll on him every so often, especially since it had been quite a long time since he was challenged like that in a fight. Begrudgingly, he had to admit that the Crown prince was indeed a very capable fighter. No wonder Sehun called him mentor. 

“Stupid prince,” he mumbled into the water, creating pink bubbles with his mouth. Despite him hating the warm weather, the hot bath he had chosen was one of the best he had ever taken.

The rustling of clothes made the thief snap out of his thoughts. 

A maid came inside the bathroom. Her dress tightly fitting her thin but curvy body. She was beautiful, and the thief couldn’t help but let a smirk play around his lips as he leaned back in the big bath tub.

“Is something wrong my dear?” He asked, his muscles flexing ever so slightly as he turned his bare upper body in her direction. The girl flushed a deep scarlet. 

“Do you perhaps need help with something, Sire?” She asked, bravely stepping closer. “I could help you with your wounds and wash you, Sire.” 

Kai’s smirk grew, eyes glancing suggestively in her direction. “I could use some company in here. And perhaps, my lovely one, something more?” 

The maid licked her lips, seductively opening the buttons on her dress until her chest was visible and laid out in front of the thief. She stepped closer while her skirts pooled around her wide hips. Kai welcomed her with a kiss on the hand in the tube, then started ravishing her neck. 

Needless to say, Kai was more than satisfied after his bath.  
\-------

He was more than late to the meeting, showing up with tousled hair and in obscenely tight trousers. His eyes were still glowing slightly, and the calmness of after sex still settled in his bones. The maid was passed out on his bed. He would have to get her out before the prince showed up in their quarters. Who knows what that creature could do.

“... could give them an ultimatum.” Tao was just suggesting, but Suho shook his head.

“The current King is too proud to just give up.” Suho sighed. “Without the help from the citizens of Decantures, we have no allies beyond our borders.”

Kai lazily sat down, as nobody paid him any mind. He shortly glanced at Kyungsoo who was listening with interest. 

“Isn’t there any way to get the people to revolt?” Kris asked in frustration. 

“I think there is,” Kyungsoo answered calmly as the whole attention in the room shifted to him. 

“A young Chantem who was exiled from the land because he and his friends refused to accept the current King.” The Chantem spit the last word, making Sehun carefully place a hand on his Mentor’s shoulder.

“Oh,” Yixing breathed. “You don’t call him Rah-an.” Kyungsoo gave a small nod. “You call him so much less.” Kyungsoo nodded again, his hands folded neatly in his lap and hood hiding his face.

Kai was intrigued what emotions could be hushing over the creature’s face. Was it hate? Sorrow? Or was it sly wickedness?

Kris and Tao shared confused looks. Suho furrowing his brows, “My love, as much as I admire your knowledge, I don’t think any of us can comprehend what you’re implying.” Suho gave his mate a weak smile, squeezing the mage's hand. Kai leaned back in his seat, rocking his chair back and forth.

“Rah-an… It’s hard to explain. It basically means-”

“Someone trusted.” Kyungsoo interrupted Yixing, his voice hollow. “Someone you cherish and respect. Someone who stands above you, but has your deepest trust. Someone who is not simply an emperor. Rah-an is is your friend and family.” The Crown prince took a deep breath. 

“Decantures does not have a King. What you may call one is someone the people can trust with their lives. The current one… he does not deserve this title. Anyway,” Kyungsoo stopped himself, shaking his head. “the Chantem I spoke of found shelter in Eastruth. I could try to contact him and with a bit of your help, we could plant him in the heart of Decantures.” 

Definitely Wickedness… Kai thought, shuddering. Kris was tapping his chin, obviously thinking about the idea. They were trusting that creature way too fast. The self-proclaimed crown prince was sophisticated and rather easy to converse with, but also manipulating and so fucking stuck up at times that Kai couldn’t bring himself to trust a single word coming from that well-shaped mouth of his. Those stupid heart-shaped lips could only speak of lies and those beautiful strawberry tasting petals would only part for more. They were so fucking kissable that-

Wait what?

“We can do that. A revolution will help not only in war, but could help us form a good bond with the people again, as we will bring back peace.” Suho confirmed and Kai snapped forwards with his chair. 

That was interesting. Revolution meant riots. Riots meant empty houses. Empty houses meant easy loot. The thief couldn’t help but let a wide grin settle on his face. That sounded like something he was good at. 

“Well that’s more like it,” Kai downright purred. For the first time the attention shifted to him.

“And why is that?” Luhan asked, his eyes narrowed into a glare. 

Kai cracked an eyebrow at the dark, purplish circles under the girly eyes, but didn't falter in his act. Luhan looked worse for wear, hair slightly messed as he gripped his head again and again to release the pressure that had built inside it. It was an obvious weakness and that’s what Kai always observed. A weakness, no matter if it were slight scratches on the floor where heavy wardrobes had been moved to hide something or the limp the guard tried to hide with all his might.

“You often seem to forget who I am. I am still a thief, if you tolerate that or not. I made a deal with Suho, which I will fulfill, but not once did I promise to stop what I'm doing.” With a wink in Suho’s direction Kai finished, leaving the table stunned. Sehun was furrowing his eyebrows, seemingly dissatisfied with what the thief just said. 

With his bones cracking in just the right places, Kai stood up, running his fingers through his hair for good measures. With his eyes glowing a mischievous blue, he called his shadows, tearing a rift right into the real world. 

“I will pack and then make some preparations so we can actually sleep in a bed on our journey.” With that he mock saluted and vanished into the dark. 

While he searched for the right doors, he overheard the last spoken words in the room where Luhan had gathered them. Not that he really cared for it, but he couldn’t deny the sting in his chest.

“Why let you someone like that make deals with you, Suho?” It was Luhan who spoke, but his question stayed unanswered.

“We should start to get in contact with this revolutionist. At best we all travel to Eastruth, excluding Tao and me. Timevalis and royal matters can’t be left unattended any longer.” Kris announced with a sigh, ready to stand up when Kyungsoo shook his head. 

“If he finds out that even one king of Kallas is in Eastruth, he won’t agree on a meeting.” Kyungsoo explained calmly. 

“Then I won’t go as the King. Eastruth lies rather far from the capital and we hardly travel there. Most of the time we send out advisors. We might be able to be undetected.” Suho assured the prince who then nodded in return. 

“Then it’s settled… We’re going to Eastruth, the city of the phoenix.”


	11. An old Friend's Suggestion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Teeny-weeny bit of gore? It really isn’t bad, I promise! If you feel uncomfortable with implication of burn victims, please skip the paragraph where the first letter is marked with an ~! Only one paragraph! Thank you^^

Kai was floating on his back, watching doors drift past him with dazed eyes. Rifts were twinkling in the distance like little stars at night. Tornadoes of dark smoke were twirling here and there, creating storms strong enough to let small draughts tug at Kai’s black robes. It had been a few years ago that Kai had let himself led away by one of them, reaching a place, where snow was falling so slow that one had the feeling it stood still. There had been no wind, no sun, but a blinding whiteness. The forest had been freezing cold, not even the thickest furs had kept him warm, as he marched through the untouched white. 

Still staring ahead, Kai found the urge to look into that one door. It was locked by heavy chains, the key long lost somewhere in the nowhere of this dark mass. But the chains were old, rusty and easy to break. The smell of lingering smoke and burned wood emitted from the broken door, the scent crawling and creeping into Kai’s nose, like the soot that had gathered around the rotten wood. 

~He shook his head, all out to ignore the old door. Memories of screams and hot flames licked over his skin, making the hairs in his neck stand up, cold sweat forming on his skin and rolling down his temples. Black claws were scratching between the hinges, pressing in an everlasting stiffness against the strained doors. So many hands were pressing against it between a mess of claws made of silver and black.

He hastily stood up, running away. Never would he open it. It had to stay closed like it had been since so, so long ago. 

As he was sure the door was as far away as possible, he flopped down on the smoke again, once more drifting through the dark. His erratic heartbeat calmed down, his rapid breathing turning to normal again. 

When that dreaded door didn't interrupt his stay, he had always had just one thought about the other side.

Calming. 

That’s what Kai had always thought when he entered for a longer time period. Sometimes he stayed long enough, so that he would be missing even in the real world, spending his time watching storms of closing and opening rifts drift past.

He felt almost safe in this world, having never encountered another living soul. When he stayed long enough he would catch a glimpse of precious belongings floating in the distance, as some poor traveler had died in the smoke, because he fell into one of the rifts. Or even a door Kai had forgotten to close, since he had to admit he forgot to close them quite often.

There was the sudden sound of a piano echoing through the silence. The thief’s blue eyes widened at the familiarity of the song. The soft melody made Kai want to move, his body burning with the need to carry out movements as fluent as the shadows, which swirled around him. It was a call for help, but not urgent. More like a suggestion.

With a sigh he stood up, watching the door on his left. It was not as big as the one he had for Hiramshiral, but decorated with splashing waves and all kinds of merfolk. It was quite beautiful, he had to admit. 

The melody got louder when he neared, the blue and silver door opening with an almost mute squeak of its hinges.

Kai found himself in the familiar hall of an high class brothel, silver and blue foulards lining the black painted walls of wooden branches. Candles were flickering in their holds, throwing shadows in all the right places and giving the hall the feeling of seducing calm. 

The whole room was filled with pheromones of love, most of the many different ones produced by young woman.

In the middle of a small stage stood a snow-white piano, talented fingers flying over the keys. The man who was creating the most beautiful melody was pale, but his features not much unlike Kai’s own, just softer, filigran. 

“Siren.” Kai whispered with a melancholic smile, the other not even looking up. 

“Shadow Hunter.” He replied back, voice a erotic whisper, which made the hairs on Kai’s neck stand up and his desires skyrocketing. He gave the other a once over, noting the shorter than short clothing he wore, the pearls and shells decorating his silky hair and slender neck. The unusual peachy glowing eyes and plush pink lips. How he wished for them to be shaped like velvet petals and iris colored a vibrant emerald. 

The thief shook his head.

With a deep inhale Kai, crossed the room in mere moments, letting his hands wander around the other's body, ignoring how he thought of milky white skin, with vines curling on it. Siren was throwing his head back, leaning onto Kai’s touch. Just like he always had. They shared a longing kiss, pure feelings passing between them. Breathing harshly, Kai let his hands rest on the other male’s stomach. 

“Since when do you respond to my call, Shadow Hunter?” 

“I always hear out for your call.” Kai felt his resolve slipping more and more, shivers taking over his lean frame. He pulled the other in his lap and rested his chin on his shoulder. “Why did you call me, though?” Kai asked with a breathy voice.

“My girls are in danger.” Siren replied, curling deeper into Kai’s embrace.

“Someone is attacking them on the streets. They fear that he will manage to slip past the guards, hurt us in our own home. You know I would never let something like that happen. We need your help.” Siren was looking directly at Kai now, hooded peachy glowing eyes filled with fear and worry. They were asking an old friend for help, an old lover for protection, an old family member for assurance.

Their story was long, one of hate and vengeance and times they would have liked to forget. Kai wore the scars to this day, Siren probably too. 

“Care for a dance?” Kai asked, holding his hand out as he stood up. 

He knew exactly how to help. His friend, lover and family.

\----- 

When Kai came back to his and Kyungsoo’s shared bedroom, he found it empty. Neither the prince, nor the maid in it and all curtains tightly drawn shut. Anger hung heavy in the air, Kyungsoo’s magic radiating from the walls, the ground. Shit....

While he scolded himself shortly for forgetting about the little minx, he changed his clothes, settling on an almost transparent shirt and tight trousers. Depositing two small knives in his leather shoes, he looked around one last time, before he marched outside.

Blinking dumbfounded at the bright light of the sun greeting him, the master thief pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes. The white spots were dancing across his sight, due to the sudden exposure of light. 

As he was finally able to see decently again, he found that the sun stood still low, morning birds singing in the trees. 

Breakfast should be served shortly and Kai just wondered how long he had been floating around aimlessly. Well, not that he would want to miss out on the delicious meals the chefs created. And on the girls. Luhan had a really good eye regarding who he hired. Totally contrasting to Hiramshiral. Suho and Kris had the most unattractive maids Kai had ever laid eyes on, most of them visibly older than him.

He shuddered whenever he remembered how they would try to help him bath.

With a light swing in his steps he made his way to the dining hall, following the sound of laugher and amused howls. Two maids crossed his path, blushing and giggling as they strode past him, while he let his eyes trail down their back sides. 

Luhan really had an good eye. 

Like the drama queen he was he pushed the doors open with both arms, stepping inside with feline gracefulness. The laughter subsided, all eyes staring at the thief, who settled down with a content sigh. 

He immediately noticed that Kris and Tao weren’t there anymore, probably already on their way back to Timevalis, doing lovey-dovey-stuff, like riding on one horse together or gazing into each others eyes or worst case: snogging

Suppressing a disgusted shudder he mentally swatted the image away, reaching for a sugary tart that laid before him.

“Good morning.” he greeted Suho who sat on his right. The King was gaping at him with wide eyes, giving his revealing outfit an once over. 

Kai carefully eyed the completely silent crown prince to his left, before he gave Suho a wide smile.

“We can use my friend’s houses during our journey. As payment we have to catch a creepy stalker, who attacks his… well, employees. It’s a perfect cover if you don’t want anyone to know who you are.” 

The King just nodded with a smile on his own. “For a city as talkative as Eastruth, it appears to be better to always be on the safer side. But what about the rest of our journey? Not everyone can teleport themselves…” 

“Well I suggest we travel from city to city. My friend has houses all over the country, some even on the countryside, so we will just have to work out some sort of map. It should be easy, since I don’t believe any of us want to sleep on the harsh ground longer than necessary, right?” Kai asked with a charming smile.

There were murmurs of agreement all over the table. Kyungsoo was awfully silent, Kai noticed. The Prince was sitting oddly curled into himself. Sehun was talking to Luhan but Kai saw the concerned looks he send his mentor from time to time. Kai turned around to the Chantem, eyeing how the gloved hand played with the food on his plate. 

“Not hungry, my princess?” He mockingly asked the prince, hoping for a reaction, be it positive or negative. 

“Not really....” Kai pouted over the missing reaction he had hoped for.

“Why not, my lovely highness? The chefs make amazing food!” 

As if to underline his comment he stuffed his mouth with one of the tarts. The sweet taste exploded in his mouth and he resisted the urge to let his eyes roll back into his skull. The prince still seemed to know what was up as he gave a short snort. 

“I see.” He chuckled, a sound Kai found better than the depressing aura that had surrounded the male before. “And what would my brave thief advise me to eat? He must know that I fancy simple meals.” 

Kai smirked, before calling one of the maids over, whispering in her ear while eyeing Kyungsoo. The Prince had turned his head to Sehun, conversing in the harsh language of Decantures with his mentee. Sehun looked a lot calmer now, leaning into Kyungsoo’s hand that patted his cheeks. 

“Princess…” Kai mused, yes that should be a fitting name for the snobby prince.


	12. Of Ferries, Stars and Jewels

The way to Eastruth was a straining one, if one started in the Southern City. They had to travel to Autumn's death first -Kai trying to hide his face as much as possible for the few hours they had spend there- waiting for a ferry to set them over to Kellas. They had seen the wanted signs on each and every tavern. His mask was plastered all over it, a hefty sum underneath a ‘Dead or Alive’ threat. He did look handsome, though, his hair swept up and slightly tousled behind the black fox mask. Only they got the left ear of his mask wrong and it itched Kai in his fingers to fix it. 

Kyungsoo and Sehun had spent their night flying with Paws, setting over to Kellas just in the morning hours of the day. Kai would have loved to go with them, as Sehun had described flying as the best feeling in the world. Like riding on a boat. Kai had never been on a boat before.

He had asked Suho if he could just teleport over, but the king had insisted that Kai would have to travel with them all the time, since Kai was the only one who knew which house belonged to his friend. Most of them were small cottages, hideouts to be honest, but Suho didn’t need to know. Like never. Ever.

But currently, currently Kai just hung limp over the railing of the ferry. He was pretty sure his face was as green as Kyungsoo’s eyes, as he repeatedly felt bile rise in his throat. If this was what flying felt like, he would just continue to teleport. No need for soaring in the air.

“You okay there?” Luhan asked with a laugh. Do I look okay to you!? Kai screamed in his mind, looking up shortly to glare at the major. 

“No, actually you don’t. I will get Yixing. Maybe he can help you.” Kai just nodded, defeated by the constant nausea he felt. Hopefully Yixing could help…

Yixing could not help. The mage seemed to be just as seasick- quite the irony if one considers his mate could control water- and as soon as he saw the moving waves and the ferry pitched and tossed more, he hung next to Kai. 

Suho tried to calm the waters with his powers, but the Mourn-ok had always been a wild spirit. 

Kai was close to kissing the ground beneath his feet when they stepped on land again, after what felt like hours, praying to whatever deity that was out there that the ride was over. Never again he would set a foot on one of those wretched boats. Or fly, for that matter.

They found Kyungsoo and Sehun not far from the small port, hidden in the woods. Dirtpaws was sleeping soundly, Sehun dozing snuggled up to her belly. Kai shortly wondered if a Sschress’ body held the same phenomena as a Chantem, to be cool when it’s warm and to be warm when it’s cool.

“Princess!” he called, as he spotted Kyungsoo returning from wherever he had been. With a soft pop Kai teleported to his personal ice block’s side, throwing his arms around the cold body. A satisfied sigh escaped his lips. Without the heat of his surroundings, the last bit of nausea disappeared.

“You look sick. Yixing does, too. Are you two alright?” the prince asked, while he checked his bag again if he got everything with him. 

“I’m better with you, princess.” Kai said with wiggling eyebrows. He was pretty sure Kyungsoo had rolled his eyes at him. 

“We should get moving.” Suho suggested then, while Luhan was already waking Sehun. The teen mumbled something incoherent, turning away and hiding in Paws’ paws.

Ha...paws’ paws… Kai laughed to himself. Luhan shot him an unamused look and the thief faked a cough in embarrassment. 

“Kai, get off.” Kyungsoo muttered, when Kai still didn’t release him. 

With a pout Kai entangled his arms from the prince, but was fast to get back on his lovely, small, spotted horse. With a mocking smile Kai blew the crown prince a kiss. 

“Although I do not enjoy spending my time apart from you, my princess, I will oblige to your bidding.” 

The smack of Suho’s hand against the back of the thief’s head echoed loudly through the woods.

 

 

The time they spend on the road compared to the ferry was rather enjoyable. At least Kai found it to be for his amusement. Watching Sehun blush under the eye of Luhan was always worth a good laugh. Even Kyungsoo had cracked up once. 

Sehun’s horse had stumbled on something, while the kid had tried to gain Luhan’s attention. At the jerk, Sehun had gotten a nice kiss from the head of his horse, paired with a deep red blush coating his cheeks in embarrassment. 

Yixing and Suho were attached to the hip most of the time, riding together on NomNom. Suho was always watching Kai and Luhan, as if he didn’t trust the two unmated kings. Not that any of them had any interest in Yixing. Kai admitted, yes, Yixing was a cutie, but nobody was like his princess.

His cold hearted, wicked princess, who slowly but steadily started to warm up to Kai. The thief was surprised at first, but when you start to travel with four guys, each of them to occupied with another, you don’t get to be picky. And besides, Kyungsoo could actually be decent company. 

They held watch most of the nights, together, falling asleep on their horses at day. Kai was more comfortable to be awake at night, obviously due to his… occupation. He was almost always watching the twin-moons embracing each other and the stars lighting up the black night sky to a deep blue. Be it from his hide-out or from the roof of a random house. The night was entrancing, calm. Silent and asleep. The bustle of the day would vanish as if he was in a dream.

Kyungsoo, so it seemed, was not much different. He explained -after they had sat in silence for three nights, side by side near the fireplace in one of Siren’s cottages- that he was used to watch over Sehun, who slept like a log at night, if not bothered by the constant yelling of the wind in his ears and wouldn’t bat an eyelash until the sun was peeking over the horizon. 

“You’re dreaming.” Came the crown-prince’s soothing voice from under Kai. The thief was pulled from his thoughts, peering down from the forked branch he was sitting in. The house they stayed in this night was just behind him, a slight glow from the almost dead fire visible through the windows.

Kyungsoo was leaning against the gnarled tree trunk, his arms crossed in front of his chest. His hood was lowered, instead the familiar piece of black fabric clipped in front of his face. Green eyes were gleaming up at the thief, like little, green jewels. 

“Hmm…. Dreaming ‘bout you princess.” Kai slurred. He did doze of right there. Siren had not called him again and Kai did worry about his partner. Not that he would tell anyone.

“Well, it can only be a pleasant one, when I’m part of it.” 

Kai chortled a laugh at that, swiftly jumping down from where he was seated. Kyungsoo didn’t even flinch when he landed just in front of him. 

“It’s always pleasant with you, princess.” The Chantem gave a satisfied hum at that. Kai shot the prince a smile, holding out his arm for Kyungsoo to take. “Fancy a walk, princess?” 

Kyungsoo smiled softly, fondly, Kai noted and linked his arm with Kai’s own. They started to walk, around the house, along the small stream, between the wide fields. Sand was mixing with soil beneath their feet, as their group was almost at the desert, just a day’s ride more from Eastruth. 

“You can see many stars from here.” Kai broke the silence between them. 

“That much is true.” Kyungsoo chuckled, “But I do not only see stars.” 

The prince tugged on Kai’s arm, pulling the thief down to lie on his back on the middle of the road. Nobody was around, not even the sound of a nocturnal animal sounded anywhere. The ground was warm and Kyungsoo’s hand around his cool. The glove hiding long, silver claws. The stars were twinkling even brighter, Kai thought, the twin-moons fully embraced in each other. 

“In Decantures, we believe in different worlds. Out there, with all those stars. Some are inhabited by gods, others may be inhabited by creatures.” Kyungsoo pointed at the west, where a red star shone brightly. 

“Does your beloved one die, they will go to Srrurr, the world of the great dead. It’s the reddish light in the west. We believe every good person will go there, granted with many pleasures and praises for just being good. Srra-mi, our goddess of death protects them.” Kai let his eyes wander to the reddish star again. It looked nice, he thought. The red wasn’t angry, it was calm. 

“Bad people will have to face Srra-mi, her judgement. She knows when to be strict and cold with her words or when the deceased just needs a shoulder to lean on. She has no Black or white, but grey in may shades.” Kyungsoo chuckled as if he had remembered something amusing. “A friend of mine said she was like his mother. Strict, but loving.” 

Kai breathed out a laugh too, but couldn’t tear his eyes away from the crown prince. His skin was glowing under the moonlight, his eyes twinkling as bright as the stars, brighter than any jewel Kai had stolen. 

“Our Goddess has a brother, Srro-min. He resides on earth, watching over the living. He and his sister gift every Chantem a gem at their tenth birthday. It gives us the power of resurrecting one person loved by us. Without the gem, a Chantem cannot resurrect. Srro-min will not grant it. He is my patron-god, you know. It has been a long time since I’ve prayed to him.” Kai hummed, the long forgotten stone on his chest weighing heavily down on him, when Kyungsoo tore his eyes away from the sky to look at the thief. 

“Do you believe, Kai?” he asked, voice barely above a whisper. 

“I do not. My believes died with my family.”


	13. The City of the Phoenix and Corruption

Kai’s breath was suddenly stuck in his throat, his body tensed like never before. He had just admitted something, not even Siren knew about. With his eyes blown wide in what distinctly felt like wretched fright, Kai could only stare into the calming jewels of Kyungsoo’s eyes.

The prince just hummed and turned away again, staring up to the night sky. Kai willed himself to relax, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. They laid in silence once again, Kai still on the edge, waiting for the prince to question him. 

“W-Well,” Kai cleared his throat, hoping his stutter and nervousness wasn’t to obvious. “I think we should return, princess.” Inwardly Kai cursed when he felt his grin wavering as soon as he not fully concentrated on keeping it up. 

“Oh, it’s morning already.” Kyungsoo mused, watching how the sky turned more and more pale in moments. “Let’s return to the others. We should hurry to get you into the city by evening or we will have to spend night outside the city walls.” 

“ ‘course” Kai mumbled, giving Kyungsoo the chance to link arms again, before they started to head back. 

Suho was already awake by the time the two returned, observing the landscape with narrowed eyes. He wore nothing more than a middle class merchant, expensive enough to be taken seriously, but too common to be seen as someone important. A simple pale blue shirt under a decorated vest, light brown in color and of expensive leather. His boots were polished, but old, his trousers nothing special, but without blemish. It was the perfect clothing to mingle in the crowd unseen, especially in rich cities like Eastruth. 

Luhan wore similar clothing, but in deep red colors. He looked more like an unimportant fourth son of an upper class family. His robes were longer, more detailed in design. His hair was perfectly in place, not a single strand poking out from the high hair bun he wore.   
Yixing and Sehun on the other hand were solely focused on blending in, together with Suho. There clothes suggested that they did not belong to the lower class, but also weren’t the ones in charge in their group. It wasn’t unheard of stubborn and bold queens, but they had decided not to risk anything. 

“Is something the matter, Suho?” Kai asked, as he helped Kyungsoo walking up the uneven steps to the cottage. 

“It’s different from what our advisors told us.” He shook his head, then turned fully to Kai. “They said there is still a lot of forest, just until the desert starts. But here,” The king waved at the empty and lonely landscape, “Here is nothing. Some poor almost dead trees lining the streets. Lone, empty fields as far as the eye can reach, with the desert not far. This feels wrong.” 

“We are coming from the south west. Maybe the desert does go over to a forest in the north, if you travel to Timevalis. Don’t let it freak you out. This area looked like this for as long as I can remember.” Kai assured Suho, who gave a noncommittal sigh. 

“We should still watch out. Who knows what will happen in the city.” He glance at Kyungsoo, who had just silently stood by their side. “Especially you and your friend, crown prince. The phoenix lives in Eastruth or in close proximity. You would be in great danger if it noticed you.” Kyungsoo gave a curt nod and wished them good luck, before he stepped inside the cottage, over Dirtpaws gigantic tail. 

“How, by the love of all Kingdoms, did you get Paws inside?” Kai asked bewildered. Suho just chuckled, pointing at the left side of the cottage, were a few of Yixing’s seals hung. 

“My mate moved the wall, we shooed Paws inside and Yixing sealed it until night time. It will spell itself back together, don’t worry.” 

With a smile and a clap on Kai’s shoulder, Suho left him standing with his mouth agape and a noise that could have come from a dying dog escaping his throat.

\----

During their journey they spoke of Eastruth. Kai fed them stories about the colorful markets, the crystal clear water of the city’s pond, which was also a great place to bring your beloved one. He spoke about the great citadelle which was just as much of an architectural masterpiece as the mage tower. Kai could have sworn he never spoke as much with the others as when he spoke about Eastruth.

And still, he could not talk about his first times stealing or picking locks. Suho had shushed him when Kai mentioned how he broke into the citadelle one time, just to impress a woman.

All of them had to be set on appearing as unsuspicious as possible and keeping their surroundings in mind, so Suho had said, as the sun was shining mercilessly down on the golden sand of the Ruth-Desert. 

Kai had sulked and scratched his neck, where his clothes itched uncomfortably on his sweaty skin. He felt undeniably disgusting under his clothes, the same black robes he always wore when on journeys, only his hood replaced by a loose black cloth he had wrapped around his head and neck. He was dead set not to wear the clothing Luhan had suggested him, clothing a servant would wear. Sure, they were clothes of a rich servant, but Kai would rather die, than pose as Luhan’s manservant. The girl could pose as one himself. 

They reached the city just at sundown. 

Kai had always wanted to see the city walls from the outside, but his laziness had won most of the time so he had never actually done it. 

Right now, however he had to admit, the walls were magnificent. The city was built into the protecting curve of a stone formation, lying sheltered like inside of a deep bowl. The gates were massive and held by chains twice as thick as Kai’s body. They separated just when they were about to enter the city, Suho going first with Sehun and Yixing in tow. 

The gatekeeper’s were easily swayed by the disguised king, who knew exactly how to make people act to his liking. Kai studied Suho closely from where he stood with his horse behind a poorer group of townsfolk. Suho held eye contact with the gatekeeper, casually mentioning that he and Yixing were mates and Sehun their friend’s eldest son and under their care. As if compelled to do so the gatekeeper answered with an understanding nod, mentioning that he just needed further information so he wouldn’t lose his job. Suho gave the man an understanding pat on the shoulder, as well as a silver coin for doing an outstanding job. 

Kai couldn’t help but smirk as Suho passed the heavy gates with ease, Luhan shortly after. He had to give it the major, acting was a stronger side of his. Luhan pulled off a petty noble easily. 

As the thief reached the gates, he was assigned to another gatekeeper than Luhan and Suho had. This one was all too familiar. His shaggy brown hair was cut short under his helmet, the yellow uniform of the Eastruth’ern guard smeared with dirt and dried blood, but still in a better condition than any other guard’s. 

“Ravi, my friend! Your Hunter is back.” Kai greeted the man, opening his arms wide. The gatekeeper grumbled something about ‘what good friend?’, a lazy smile ghosting over his lips, but Kai chose to ignore it. 

“Priz’s higher this year, ‘unter.” The man muttered, his voice deep and rough. Kai held horse, turning with a questioning gaze at the man, while his hand stilled in his robes, a slight sliver of darkness seeping out.

“Why is that? Are you getting paid less?” Kai inquired. The gatekeeper shook his head.

“We get paid nothin’ anymore, ‘unter. The whole city is fuckin’ broke. The king’s ‘aven’t ans’ered any of our requests, ignored our cries for ‘elp. Our major ‘as raised the taxes so high non’ of us is able to pay up.” The man shook his head, getting rid of the haunted look in his eyes. 

Kai frowned at that. Last winter the city was still blooming with riches. Was Siren not affected by it? Or why didn’t he say anything when Kai visited? His house still looked fine. 

“Siren didn’t mention that.” 

Ravi just grunted. “Just pay for two, ‘unter. ‘ave some mercy.” 

“No mercy my friend, just loyalty.” Kai muttered, throwing a pouch full of gold into the man's hand. “Come by the blue house, if you need anything. I’ll be there for a while.” 

Ravi thanked him relieved. The man looked like Kai had just lifted a heavy burden from the man’s shoulders. Despite what many thought about the Shadow Hunter, the thief knew what it meant to lay his trust in the right hands.

Hastily saying his goodbyes, Kai stretched his arms over his head, the sign for Suho and the others to follow him. 

The city looked worse for wear. What had once been a colorful marketplace was now a dump of brown and grey and faded colors. Most stands were closed or abandoned, only children with soot and dirt in their clothes running around them. The city’s pond, which was once surrounded by palm trees and small bushes, with crystal clear water, was almost dried out, only a smelling mass of slobber left.

Kai shook his head. This wasn’t Eastruth. This wasn’t the proud city he knew. Eastruth was clean and a safe haven for all penniless. It did not make people penniless. The small merchant shop from which Kai had stolen his very first ring had closed up, wood nailed over the windows and doors. 

The mage-tower, where Yixing had most likely studied, was only a ruin. Some old and faded flags were blowing ominously in the light breeze. The citadelle had collapsed, the golden dome not even there anymore. The colors were peeling off. 

Kai tore his gaze away, searching for the familiar blue flags in the breeze, but only found white rags bound to the poles. Urging his horse to go faster he almost careered the last bit of the way. Siren owed him an explanation, a pretty good one on top of that. 

Kai’s horse protested when he harshly stopped it. The small horse reared up, neighing harshly. Kai couldn’t care less as he dismounted the animal, pushing the doors open in anger. 

The interior looked the same as always, just like days ago. A few patrons were already seated on the plush seats in front of the stage, eagerly waiting for Siren’s show to start. Noticing Kai standing with a glare in the door, two of his friend’s girls rushed over. They seemed to be new, because Kai couldn’t recall their faces. 

“Where’s Minho?” Kai asked them, glare prominent on his face. 

“The boss?” They asked stunned, sultry gaze vanishing from their faces. “Who are we to announce?” the shorter of the two asked, her hand hidden in her short skirts. 

“Tell him that Hunter is very, very impatient and angry.” 

The taller nodded curtly, striding away to get Siren’s mate. Kai wasn’t stupid. He knew that Siren wouldn’t talk with him this shortly before one of his shows. The short girl kept her eyes on Kai the whole time, not once turning her attention away. 

The tall girl returned after a while, gesturing Kai to follow her to the office. The thief knew the way like the back of his hand, but gave the girls the satisfaction to think they could hinder him from doing anything stupid. 

“He’s inside.” the tall one said, pulling the door open. 

Minho sat behind a wide desk, the chair to his left empty. He was looking up from some parchments when Kai entered the office, face unreadable.

“You can, go. Jenna, Sanna.” The two nodded reluctantly, closing the door behind them. 

“What the everloving fuck happened to the city, Minho?” Kai seethed. 

“It’s good to see you too, Jo- Kai.” The man said, slowly standing up. “And regarding the city…” the man sighed. “It’s the new major. He got into his position by bribing an advisor of King Junmyeon and King Yifan. He raised-”

“-the taxes and does not pay the guards and probably no one for that matter. I heard that. But, why, just why, did nobody think of going to Timevalis? By the will of whatever deity, you could have contacted even me!” Kai shouted, losing just a tad bit of control over his powers, as the shadows in the room grew and flickered. 

“Do you really think we didn’t try?” Minho shouted back, slamming his hands on the table. “Two of Siren’s spies died just outside these wretched walls! Ravi lost his son, because the boy was too stubborn to listen! Do not make us responsible for this, Kai.” The silence that followed was deafening, until Minho sighed tiredly. 

“We can think about getting rid of Major Rak later. You said you would bring friends. Where are they?” 

Kai just swallowed his anger, taking a deep breath himself. Minho was right, no time fighting over this. They had other matters to tend to. Suho and the others were probably standing outside. Kai could see the question marks on their faces already in his mind.

“They are waiting outside.” Kai just said, before he concentrated to call as loudly as possible in his mind. 

“LUHAN!” The reaction came instantly, a just as loud “WHAT?!” shouted back at him. 

“Get inside the building and ask of of the girls to bring you to Minho and his guest who introduced himself as Hunter.” Kai swore Luhan was brooding with annoyance, but he calmly choose to ignore it. 

It was not long after that Suho, Yixing and Sehun were led inside, Luhan just behind them. Kai was leaning against one of the many bookshelves, Minho already back behind his desk. They were currently talking about the person who was killing Siren’s girls, a deep frown on both of their faces. 

At the sight of the four newcomers, Kai stopped in his rant about ‘stupid-uncultivated-assholes’ and pushed himself away from the bookshelf. 

“Right. Let me introduce you. Minho, these are my new companions. Guys, this is Minho, my best friends mate.” Minho gave a short formal greeting. His fist over his heart and his head tilted slightly forwards. 

“I do not understand how you can keep up with Kai, but I’m pleased to make your acquaintances, although I would wish it happened under better circumstances.” Suho, Luhan and Yixing returned the greeting, while Sehun just waved shyly. 

“I’m Suho and this is my mate Lay. Those are Luhan and Sehun. We have another person with us, but he will only be here around midnight.” Minho took the information in with a nod.

“I understand. Let’s leave matters for when your last companion arrives. Until then, I will ask the girls to show you your rooms. Kai, you will watch Siren’s performance?” 

“Of course. Can’t leave him hanging, can I?” Kai winked, stepping past Suho and Yixing who both looked like they had more than one question on their tongue.


	14. Dancing to the Siren Song

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soundtrack: Sofia Calberg, Crazy in Love

The room had filled a lot. Kai could hardly find a seat between the amount of people standing and occupying every vacant space. Maybe Siren’s house was the last resort to escape Eastruth’s harsh reality. Maybe in Siren’s house people could forget their sorrows. The patrons seemed desperate, no one looked like he had had a decent shower or bath in months.

When he finally settled down just in front of the stage- in one of the seats reserved for important patrons only, after one of the guards that knew him already had asked a lesser man to please move- The girls blew out most of the lights at the same time, dimming the room down so it was almost hard to see.

Kai sighed in pleasure as the first notes of Siren’s piano filled the room, soon followed by his heavenly voice.

**I look and stare so deep in your eyes**   
**I touch on you more and more every time**   
**When you leave I'm beggin' you not to go**   
**Call your name two, three times in a row**

A curtain fell and Kai listened to the sounds of admiration at the sight Siren gave them.

Siren’s fingers were fitting over the keys, his body coated in black, sheer clothes, hiding and showing just enough to make him desirable. White pearls were adorning his ears and neck, following the curve of his collarbones.

**Such a funny thing for me to try to explain**   
**How I'm feeling and my pride is the one to blame**   
**Yeah, cause I know I don't understand**   
**Just how your love can do what no one else can**

Siren abandoned the keys, which kept playing, to stand up slowly, sinnfully, and walk over to the audience. His pants hung low on his hips, a small chain of light gold running down his chest and ending in form of a tear drop like pearl on his exposed stomach.

**Got me lookin' so crazy right now**   
**Your love's got me lookin' so crazy right now**   
**Got me lookin' so crazy right now your touch's**   
**Got me lookin' so crazy right now**   
**Got me hoping you page me right now your kiss's**   
**Got me hoping you save me right now**   
**Lookin' so crazy your love's got me lookin'**   
**Got me lookin' so crazy your love**

With a swift move Siren was on his knees, dancing to his heart’s content a dance unfit for any child. Kai felt pride as he watched Siren perform. The queen had turned from a nobody into the greatest seducer in the twin country, if not in the whole world.

**When I talk to my friends so quietly**   
**"Who he think he is?" look at what you've done to me**   
**Old shoes don't even need to buy a new dress**   
**You ain't here, ain't nobody else to impress**

Siren moved down from the stage, letting his hands wander over different people's chests, hips. His eyes made contact with different people, distressed moans coming from those who were denied the pleasure of getting near the dancer. He let them touch him, just faintly, before he turned away. As he spotted Kai mid-sentence he let a small smile tug at his lips, just after he finished his verse.

**It's the way that you know what I thought I knew**   
**It's the beat that my heart skips when I'm with you**   
**But I still don't understand**   
**Just how your love can do what no one else can**

Slinging his legs over Kai’s lap, Siren sat down, rolling his hips at the long tone. He threw his head back, his hands tangled in Kai’s hair. The thief held tight on his friends tights, his blue eyes fitting over to where Minho stood.

The king had his fists tightly clenched and a deep frown on his face. Kai couldn’t help the smirk on his lips as he let his hands trail along Siren’s hips, watching with old pleasure how Minho took a deep breath, before he willed himself to relax and met Kai’s eye calmly.

**Got me lookin' so crazy right now**   
**Your love's got me lookin' so crazy right now**   
**Got me lookin' so crazy right now your touch's**   
**Got me lookin' so crazy right now**   
**Got me hoping you save me right now your kiss's**   
**Got me hoping you save me right now**   
**Lookin' so crazy your love's got me lookin'**   
**Got me lookin' so crazy your love**

Suho and the others stood in silence at the far left, just behind Minho, question’s and, if Kai wasn’t mistaken completely, something akin to disappointment on their faces. Especially Sehun looked like Kai had just destroyed one of his beloved fans. Kai shot all of them a confused frown, but was soon interrupted by Siren’s hands on his neck.

Kai couldn’t help the smile as Siren leaned down, his eyes were glowing a peachy orange for the last time as he breathed into Kai’s ear, while he continued singing.

Oh, how Kai had missed Siren’s shows.

\----

 

The thief was lying on the rooftop of the blue house, watching the black night sky, the twin moons who embraced each other like old lovers, the little stars twinkling here and there. The dry air hung heavy over the city, only the rare small breeze tickling over Kai’s skin.

He waited for Kyungsoo and Paws, his figure like a marker in the maze of Eastruth’s streets. Suho had insisted Kai should be the one to meet the crown prince, since the two of them had spent more than one night together.

A small reddish light grabbed Kai’s attention, as his eyes fitted to the western firmament.

The thief couldn’t stop being reminded of last night, when he had let slip something important from his past. Never in his whole life had he told anyone about his family, his believes. His closest friends knew about his brother at most, but that only included Siren and his mate.

Kai jolted at the laughter of the last drunken patrons who still lingered around, the sound of Siren’s singing here and there whenever the man felt like it. The thief felt quiet jumpy, unsure how the night would turn out. His gut feeling wasn’t the best. The air was too heavy, the night too calm.

Kai caught sight of stars disappearing behind a dark shadow and slowly sat up to wave his hands. The shadow continued to circle around the blue house, slowly but steadily descending. Kai could make out Kyungsoo crouching on paws back, only the soles of his feet touching the Sschress’ scales, while his hands held tight on the furry neck. The Prince looked like he was born to fly.

When Paws was low enough, Kyungsoo jumped down from her back, landing swiftly next to Kai, a bag slung around his back. His robes smelled like fresh water and Kai noticed that Kyungsoo was dripping wet. His robe clung tightly to his body, his feet making squelching sounds with every step the Chantem took. Only the bag seemed to be dry.

“Did you go swimming, my princess?” Kai greeted, sitting cross-legged on the roof and Kyungsoo just gave him a shrug.

“Paws wanted to take a bath, get the sand out between her scales. I just tagged along.” Kai hummed while he pretended not to hear the “involuntary” that escaped Kyungsoo’s mouth in a hiss.

The thief linked his arms with Kyungsoo and led him down to the entrance hall, where the girls hushed the last patrons out. Kisses were exchanged, winks thrown around and bronze coins spilled on the floor.

Kai felt Kyungsoo turning his head around, observing how the flirty gazes the girls wore fell and some started to absentmindedly wipe the last traces of man from their face, while they started to count the money they made with resigned faces. Just them Minho came into the room, clapping his hands to get everyone’s attention.

“Listen, girls! Wonderful work as always. If you feel unsafe to return home tonight you can stay. The great room is filled with blankets and pillows. Please rest before you return home in the morning, yes?” The girls gave their boss blinding smiles, all of them grabbing their things and turning in for the night.

“Oh! Kai.” Minho exclaimed, walking over to where Kai stood with Kyungsoo still dripping on the floor. “Is this your last companion?” The king asked, regarding Kyungsoo’s wet clothes with narrowed eyes. The prince’s horns were even more visible, now that his hood was heavy with water. Kai also noted the twitch in Minho’s nose. As if the king tried to decipher if Kyungsoo was one himself, only to relax his stance when he noted the Queen’s undeniably sweet scent.

“Yes, he is. As you can see he can’t just walk through the gates.” Minho chuckled at that, tearing his eyes away from Kyungsoo’s horns.

“Well he can’t stay in those wet clothes now, can he? Show him to the silver room, will you? Then he can change and come back so we can finally start discussing everything.”

Kai gave an indignant yelp at that. “But the silver room belongs to me!” He pouted, glaring at Minho who just looked confused. “Minho, I will not give my room up.” the thief argued, clapping his hands matter-of-factly to prove his point..

“Stop being a child. Who said something about giving up. You will share. We are a brothel not a hotel. As if we have enough rooms for all of you. Tsk.” The male said with a roll of his eyes, striding away with his robes flaring behind him.

Kai sneered, raising fingers in the direction Minho just vanished to. Kyungsoo chuckled next to him. The sound was pleasant to listen to, soft and deep.

“Looks like we will share our nights once again, master thief.” Kai just held his nose high as he led Kyungsoo to the silver room. His room, Kai sulked again.

The silver room had always belonged to him. He had decorated it, had painted the walls. He had stolen the silkiest fabric for the sheets and he had collected with hard work the softest feathers to stuff the mattress. It was Kai’s closest thing to a home and his safest hideout.

He still opened the door for the prince and felt a spark of satisfaction at the awed gasp that escaped Kyungsoo’s mouth.

In contrast to its name, the silver room was more black than silver. The walls were covered in black fabric, decorated with a bluish swirling pattern and little silver threads that formed little blinking dots. Silver decorative strips were connecting wall and ceiling, the windows hidden behind heavy curtains. On the left side of the room stood a black four poster, the same fabric like on the walls slung around the dark wood. Black and silver pillows were propped against the headrest, dark, thin sheets folded neatly on top of a black mattress. In the middle of the room was a loveseat, made of bluish velvet and standing on silver feet. A small, silver table stood in front of it, several hassocks around it. The floor was buried under a heavy black carpet, a few black drawers on the right.

“It’s beautiful.” Kyungsoo breathed and Kai couldn’t help but let a happy smile settle on his face. It has been long since someone had expressed their opinion on his room.

“I furnished it.” He said, trying to sound shy and insecure to get another compliment. “It’s like how I see the other side, the realm I vanish to if I teleport.”

Kyungsoo took of his hood, shrugging off his wet outer robe in the same movement. “It’s really beautiful, master thief. Could you lit some candles, so I can change?”

Kai nodded, reminding himself not to happily skip over to the small lamps that were attached to the walls. Someone liked his room. More over, a prince who was raised in wealth and luxuries liked his room.

He lit the lamps with a tiny spark, the little bit of magic he could do. Still giddy he turned back around after lighting three of the lamps, so that just enough light illuminated the room.

From what Kai could see, Kyungsoo had changed into a dress like robe, the front ending just around his mid thighs, the back falling to the ground. A flowery pattern was sewn into the fabric, which looked heavier than the one that lined the walls of the silver room. The back side was split in two and had to be laced together, even the hood at the upper end. Kyungsoo had also changed his pants into something more functional, tighter than his former pants, but still loose enough so it wouldn’t show of his body.

The prince’s silky hair was falling over his face as he tried to lace the robe together at his back. The result looked rather funny, one string almost twice as long as the other, crumpled and messily done.

“Need help, Princess?” the thief asked, already walking over. Kyungsoo threw Kai a glare over his shoulder at the mocking tone, but sighed in the end. Clipping a small piece of fabric back over his face, the prince held out the two strings.

“Yes, please. Could you lace it?” He asked in a force-friendly tone.

Kai hummed amused as he started to open all the knots in the soft satin band. He skillfully started to lace the two sides together, the little ribbon at the end not too long, so it wouldn’t hinder Kyungsoo’s sight. The prince stood calmly with his back to Kai, who marveled at the beauty of the Chantem’s backside. The thief stepped around the petit queen, letting his fingers dance over Kyungsoo’s soft shoulders.

“Thank you.” the prince said as Kai pulled the hood carefully over the horns, adjusting it so it would hide most of Kyungsoo’s face. He still made out the small, soft and fond smile that played around Kyungsoo’s lips.

The queen then stepped aside, while he patiently waited for Kai to shug of his own outer robes and change into a new shirt. This one was made of shiny black silk, pooling around Kai’s lithe form like water. The thief sighed contently as he felt the cool material against his burning skin. How he wished he was a Chantem at that moment. Not feeling hot at all, while he could watch others suffer from a heatstroke. With a grin he turned to Kyungsoo, who pointingly had his back turned.

As Kai opened the door, he let Kyungsoo step out first and then followed suit, once again linking arms with the short queen.

Kyungsoo leaned against him.

Kai denied the skip his heart made.


	15. Interlude: Ice and Bells I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short Interlude ahead!

The cold felt once again like a gruesome reality nobody would escape. Nobody could escape.

The snow had since long covered every expanse of the plane in blinding white, the waterfalls were frozen as if trapped in time. Only a few gnarled, seemingly dead trees gave the herd of white deers a bit of false cover. 

There was the howling of a storm heard in the distance, while here not even a breeze bothered the snow. The little white spot were almost frozen in the chilling air, but if one looked closely, they would see the crystals ascending to the sky.

A figure clad in pristine white clothing was crouching just a steps away from the herd. Its head was buried under a mask with fur attached to a long hood, face unrecognizable for any living creature. The figure squinted its eyes beneath their mask, as it grabbed an arrow from its quiver, the white bone matching the bow in its hand. 

It’s fingers were not human, long, silvery white claws gleaming dangerously under the sun. The skin was a milky white, beautiful and still speaking of hardship. The palms of his hands were marred with little crisscrossing lines. The skin had been brutally ripped open, no doubt it was supposed to cripple the hunter. 

Next to the creature, a Chantem, laid a fox like being, its fur made of Ice crystals and its eyes a deep, deep red. The little being was all curled up, it’s long ears flicking every now and then as it slept the day away. The hunter spared the little crystal fox a small scratch between its ears, before he turned his attention back to the herd.

Targeting one of the biggest deers, the hunter mumbled a single word as he released the arrow from the taut bowstring. The bone zirred through the air, blue feathers cutting it as if hoping to tear a rift into this plane, as the arrow found it’s target. The deer fell to the side, its blood staining the once pure ground red. 

When the animal took its last breath, the cold claimed it as its own. The wound glowed bluish white and in moments, the flesh was stiff and frozen, shattering like glass if handled wrong. The Hunter let his gaze follow the frightened herd of deers as it ran, leaving the dead stag behind. 

The little fox woke as the hunter stood from his hideout and followed with happy yaps as his companion started dragging the frozen stag on a skid.

With heavy steps the hunter started his journey back. He vanished soon into a forest of old, gnarled conifers, the little fox having long returned to sleep on the skid, too lazy to use its own paws. As he stepped inside, a group of wolves howled loudly as if announcing the return of the hunter to the world, the little fox growling in response. It earned him a chuckle from the hunter, who scratched the crystal creature once again behind its ears.

The Hunter noted shortly that the cold seemed to intensify, frost building on the trees, the little crystals forming beautiful and deadly flowers. The trees arched, their branches crying in pain. The cold was followed by crackling air, the hunters hairs raising at the feeling one would experience during especially hard storms. When lightning struck the earth. When thunder roared. 

“You’re back…” a lone voice breathed, thunder roaring with his voice in the distance. “I made a fire…” the thunder roared again.

Belles chimed as the hunter embraced the small, young figure in his arms, choosing to ignore the prickling feeling dancing over his skin. 

“Let’s go somewhere warm, alright?”


	16. A Fuming Tin God

Kyungsoo and Kai walked in silence.

The thief was trying to get his stupid heart under control as it continued to beat furiously. The sound was pounding in his ears as Kyungsoo leaned his head to rest on Kai’s arms. Kyungsoo’s horns brushed against Kai’s upper arm with every step they took. 

The sigh that escaped Kyungsoo was just so content that Kai considered ditching the others and return under his bed sheets. He wished Kyungsoo to be there, hair falling again all over their bodies. He wished to feel the soft curves of his princess fitted smugly into his arms.

The thief wondered how many nights it had been. How many nights he had spend with the prince on his side, soft hands wrapped around his arms. Hair spilled over his chest like his smoke. Legs tangled with his own. How many mornings he woke up to pale skin and green eyes. 

He shook his head, tearing his eyes away from Kyungsoo’s hooded face. If he didn’t want Suho to tease him endlessly again, he would have to get himself together. 

“Hey Princess,” Kai stopped walking, tugging the petit and now confused Chantem in front of him. 

“Is something the matter, my Master Thief?” Kai tried not to let the ‘my’ affect him too much. Although he wanted to turn into goo right then and there. In the middle of the maze like hallways of Taemin’s house. 

Tugging at all the mirth and playfulness in him he gazed at the prince.

“Did I ever tell you that you are the same as the girls in this house?”

Kyungsoo released Kai’s arm as if burnt, an infuriated “I beg your pardon?!” escaping between petal like lips. Kai just smirked, grabbing the Crown Prince’s chin and made him look right into his eyes. 

Kai could see Kyungsoo’s furrowed eyebrows, a sneer of utter annoyance twisting on his beautiful face. The thief smirked only wider, having expected that reaction and that reaction only. 

He decided whose heart would pound harder.

He decided how the person he was conversing with would perceive him.

It had always been Kai who was in control. And now this lost prince had marched into his life, taking control over Kai’s mind and body and soul like he was a mere puppet. So, Kai would take back the control he thought had been lost.

With his breath ghosting over Kyungsoo, the thief leaned down, letting his hands trail over Kyungsoo’s cheeks and neck. He felt Kyungsoo shiver under his administrations. The queen’s face softened, the slightest hint of a blush coating his cheeks in the dark of his hood. Kai stopped right then to whisper into the princess’s ear.

“You are just as infatuating…” He breathed out, before he released the queen. 

Kyungsoo stood stiff as a statue, only when his mind seemed to catch up he gave an indigent huff, throwing a well-aimed glare in Kai’s direction. 

“And you are, what people call an arse.”

The thief couldn’t hold the laugher bubbling in his throat. He stared in pure amusement and the false sense of control as Kyungsoo stomped away like a spoiled child. 

 

They entered Minho’s office separately, Kai still in high spirits. Oh, he had loved that reaction. 

“Ah, perfect. I was just about to search for you.” Minho smiled, releasing Siren, from where he sat in Minho’s lap. Kai had just enough time to open his arms to catch the queen, who hauled himself at Kai. 

“You came!” Siren exclaimed happily, kissing both of Kai’s cheeks. “I was so, so happy to see you during the performance.” Kissing Kai again, this time right on the lips, Siren released the thief from his tight embrace. He gave Kai a short onceover, seemingly satisfied with the state of Kai’s body.   
He then turned to the Chanem, who had stepped back, already choosing to stand by Sehun’s side. 

“You must be the last of Hunter’s friends to arrive! I’m Choi Taemin, but I am mostly called and known as Siren.” 

The crown prince gave a formal bow, his head dipping just the slightest. His shoulders were relaxed and his anger from moments ago seemed to have evaporated into thin air as soon as he saw his mentee again. The two stood together, Kyungsoo’s hand affectionately ruffling Sehun’s hair.

“My name is Do Kyungsoo. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Choi Taemin.” Kyungsoo bowed shortly again, his voice soft as he greeted the singer. 

Kai was sure his best friend’s smile wavered shortly, but shrugged it off as nothing important. Taemin skipped back to his mates arms, while Kai walked over to Suho and Yixing. The mated pair greeted him with a short nod, as Kai leaned on the bookshelf close to them.

“I assume you know why we are here?” Suho started, addressing Minho and Taemin who both nodded.

“You are searching for Halim. The Chantem without horns.” The queen answered.

“We are.” Kyungsoo responded, ”He is a good friend of mine and hopefully soon a valuable ally. I do not know about Eastruth’s streets nor do I believe any of the others can say that they truly know where… Halim could hide.” 

The name seemed to form only heavy on the princess’ tongue. Kai noted the way Sehun froze at the mention of this Halim. What bothered the thief about that reaction was that Sehun knew they were searching for a hornless Chantem. The kid must have known from the beginning who they were searching for, although Kyungsoo had shared only the smallest part of information with them. There seemed to be a bigger story than what the princess let on.

Taemin looked thoughtful for a moment, before his eyes went wide. “The Hall!” He exclaimed and Kai felt his hope of finishing this of as fast as possible dwindle. 

“No.” was all he said, glaring at his friend.

“But it is the only place he could be!” Taemin argued back. 

“I said no, Siren!” 

Seeing the lost look on everybody’s face, Minho stood. He walked over to the right wall, shoving one of the shelves aside with ease, to reveal a large map. The markers indicated that it showed the streets of Eastruth. 

They were drawn professionally and Kai couldn’t even imagine what the map would bring him on the black market. One could clearly see the stone formation that shielded Eastruth to the east, the thick and foreboding walls to the west. The city’s circular form was disturbed by the tunnels and streets leading inside the stone. The marketplace and pond were easy to distinguish as empty space on the map, the abandoned Mage Tower drawn so detailed, Kai thought he might stand in front of it. 

“This is the Citadelle.” Minho started, showing the marker right in the heart of the town. It was a small building, but the golden color that was drawn to the roof employed the importance of the architecture. 

“Inside,” Taemin took over, letting his fingers ghost over the small, but beautiful drawing, “is a passageway. It will take you to the Underground, the caves and tunnels beneath the city.”

The map started to blur and soon buildings and streets changed to woven passages and endless ways. Caves littered the map, some seemed to small for more than one human to enter, others took more space on the map than the drawing of the mage tower. The lines were more sloppy, like they had been drawn in a haste, some tunnels leading into nowhere.

“Underneath the Mage tower, is a cave. The inhabitants of Eastruth call it simply the Hall. It is said to be an old temple, some old religion the humans practiced many, many years ago. It is said to be a temple for the Phoenix and the only place that is, aside from my house, still safe to hide. Our citizens claim the Hall to be cursed. Nobody would dare to enter.” 

Kai glared at the map, wishing it would just burst into flames and vanish together with everything Taemin just told the others. 

Entering the Underground was dangerous enough, Kai had scars to proof that. Whatever lived down there was clawed and would hurt you at first sight. It was merciless and without reason, without thought. 

However, entering the Hall was plain suicide. Many good thieves had died in there, their bodies oddly deformed and sometimes even missing parts if they made it back out. Kai could still remember the way one of the greatest thieves he had known had come back, missing his thumbs and forefingers. How his eyes had after that never stood still always moving around like he was haunted. He never spoke and took his life not two moons later.

“We will not enter the Hall.” Kai spoke, voice dangerously low. “There has to be another possibility. Nobody survives the Hall, nobody escapes the curse bestowed on them while entering. You know as much as I do that it is not a simple ghost story made by parents to keep their rebellious children out of there.”

“There is no other possibility, Kai. Either the Hall or Halim left the city.” Minho frowned. He was calm, knowing why Kai was so against the idea of trying to go there. 

“Or his bones are between thousand of others down there.”

“I can go alone, Master Thief.” Kyungsoo spoke up and Kai swore his neck cracked at the speed he whipped around to face the prince. 

“Excuse me?!” He growled. 

“You are excused.” Ignoring the sharp intake of breath Kyungsoo stepped forwards. “Those who do not want to look into this can stay, even if all of you do. The search for Halim is no need to risk any of your lives. If he actually hides in there he must have found a way to survive whatever this curse may be. It is only reasonable to feel fear and I will never, ever, force someone to follow me.” 

Taemin seemed satisfied that the prince showed no fear of the Hall, shooting a smirk in fuming Kai’s direction.

“I would like to stay.” Yixing spoke up. “I heard about it. Not a single mage that went down there ever resurfaced. I fear those tunnels more than I fear your kind, Kyungsoo.” Said Chantem took Yixing’s words with a curt nod, but the soft smile he allowed Yixing to see told everyone that the prince held no grudge against the mage.

“Of course. Nobody will force you. I assume Suho will stay behind then, too?” 

“Yes, I will stay with my mate.” The king furrowed his eyebrows shortly, seemingly dissatisfied to actually stay behind and let the others do all the work. “If it is alright,” he started to suggest, “I would try to capture the person who harms your employees in the meantime, Taemin.” 

“That would be wonderful!” The smile on Taemin’s face was broader than Kai’s whenever he found valuable loot. The thief sneered. 

Luhan spoke next, having listened to the conversation quietly up till now. “I would like to find out how this new major is able to hold such influence over the people. Besides, I am no person to do treasure hunts. I would rather start to take out certain trash.” This got him a booming laugh from Minho, who then gestured to the bookshelf Kai leaned on. 

“Be my guest. There is everything we know about the man and everything he did during his tyranny.” Luhan smiled, giving a short bow. 

“Then I will get to work as soon as we are finished here.”

Sehun proudly came to stand on his mentor’s side, bowing shortly. “I will come with you, Mentor. Not even your command may hold me back to follow you.” Sehun added something in the Decaturian language, that made Kyungsoo chuckle. The prince stroked Sehun’s cheek before he returned similar words. Sehun’s face turned crimson and he turned away, obviously annoyed to be teased.

“What about you, Master Thief?” Suho asked then, and the whole attention of the room focused on Kai. He stared angered at Taemin, then turned to his princess. As much as he hated those caves, he would not let his princess walk down there alone. Kai thought that Sehun didn’t count, the kid would probably only get into more danger than they already would be in. 

Catching Kyungsoo’s green eyes under that hood, Kai gave a cocky smirk.

“You will need a guide don’t you? Who do you think drew that map? Honorable humans? Don’t be stupid, Princess. You wouldn’t survive down there for more than a Namik.” 

\--------

The night was already old and the twin moons already bate goodbye to the world. Eastruth’s streets were empty, not even a cat stalking around, not even a guard dog awake. The dry air was lying heavy in between the alleys, while the dark night kept paling in the east. 

Kai led Kyungsoo and Sehun over the roofs, his mask for the first time in weeks back on his face. He marveled at how easy it was for him to return to who he was, what he had been doing all his life. Jumping from roof to roof. Minding the light. Only stopping to stalk through an open window only to emerge at the other side of the building and then vanishing back in the dark. 

He was only surprised by the fact, that Kyungsoo and Sehun were just as silent. The princess’s steps were almost completely mute, only the silent intakes of breath indicated that he was still following Kai. Sehun couldn’t be heard at all. The kid was using his powers to keep up and his feet not once touched the wooden roofs underneath their feet. 

They reached the Citadelle without a single problem, slipping inside the battered doors without as much as a creak of its hinges.

The entrance to the tunnels was marked by rotten flowers, the painting that hid the passage was not even properly in place. The people must have thought they could escape the city by finding a way out of the guarded walls through the darkness of the Underground. Foolish humans...

Dust had settled heavily over the steps as Kai went in first, the prince not once complaining. As the thief turned around shortly, he saw that Kyungsoo had crouched down, inspecting the ground that was buried under a greyish layer. 

“He must be here. The dust is only an illusion.” The princess spoke and Kai noted that his own steps couldn’t be seen, although the layer was thick enough.  
“Well, then I suggest we hurry along.” Kai hissed, watching through the battered roof as the sky turned blue frighteningly fast.

Lighting a small torch, Kai descended the steps, Kyungsoo and Sehun following after him. Kai didn’t need the light. He could perfectly see in the darkness. He was sure Kyungsoo would find his way around without light either, only Sehun seemed to struggle. The kid smelled like someone had spooked him. Not quite fear, yet, but not calm either. 

“Remember the way.” Kai spoke up at the first crossroad. “If we get seperated I will not search these tunnels for your body. Find your way out yourself or soon there will be flowers for you resting in front of the entrance.” 

Sehun shuddered while Kyungsoo didn’t even flinch. “That is only fair, master thief.” He spoke, his voice as calm as his scent. 

Kai rolled his tensed shoulders, hoping to loosen his taut muscles. They both just didn’t know how dangerous these tunnels really were. How many traps held whatever was in here inside and the humans out. 

The eerie silence pressed down on their ears, louder than any noise could have been. The flicker of the torch’s fire drew ominous shadows at the walls, the blood red stone bleeding with the grotesquely stretched figures.

As they came across the first trap, Sehun’s fear spiked, the scent wafting over Kai. Bones and barely rotten bodies were littered over the floor and Kai gestured Kyungsoo to wait. The prince complied, opting to gather Sehun in his arms instead and whispering comforting growls. The fear cleared from Sehun’s scent, while Kai inspected the bodies. 

Small darts were all over the place and Kai unconsciously scratched his right upper arm where a small punctured scar spoke of his own stupidity to walk into one of those traps. Searching, he found the small stone barrier that hid the trap’s trigger. Carefully stepping over it, he turned to Kyungsoo and Sehun. 

“Watch out here. Do not step on there or you will suffer the same fate as them.” 

Kyungsoo went first, jumping with ease over the trap. Sehun followed after and Kai was shortly in awe how Sehun floated gracefully over the ground before he fell into his mentors arms. From then on, the kid walked between Kai and his mentor, the fear no longer clogging Kai’s nose.

They went quietly, the masses of bodies warning them if they neared another trap and Kai wondered just how many people had tried to escape the city and gotten lost on their way. 

As they neared the Hall, Kai slowed his steps. He ordered Kyungsoo and Sehun not to make a sound and mute their steps as much as possible. He felt the curse in the air, the death in the ground. There was light ahead and with a single flick of Sehun’s wrist their torch went out. 

While the three of them crouched down to slowly advance forwards, the rustle of clothes could be heard, the soft breathing of two people echoing along the walls. Kai minded the first torch as much as he could, silently hushing past the ring of light. They were close to the entrance of the Hall, so close that Kai’s skin prickled with the heaviness of the curse. 

He only registered that he had stopped, when he felt Kyungsoo’s clawed hand on his shoulder. He turned around and found the queen, crouching just in front of him, green jewels staring softly into his eyes.

The crown prince silently shuffled past him, taking the lead with Sehun once again between them. Kai let him, although he kept an eye out for anything that could trigger the dark magic in this place.

As the made it pass the entrance, Kai had to take a moment to marvel at the sight of the Hall. 

It was huge, fires enlightening the rough stone walls, while little holes in the ceiling absorbed the smoke and provided fresh air at the same time. The magic that made this possible must be older than the City itself. The temple was more like an altar. A grotesque figure stood at the top, wings made of fire engulfing its human body. Two gigantic antlers sprouted from its head, while gentle hands were offered to whoever might stand in front of it.

Kai felt shivers wracking his body at the sight of it. The figure was trapping him, stripping him of every facade. It demanded Kai to stare at it. With a sharp intake of breath Kyungsoo had turned around, trying to shield Kai’s eyes from taking in the tin god’s figure. 

Kai had to suppress a scream as his skin felt like it was on fire, his eyes locked with the statues. 

Two deep red orbs were ablaze with roaring flames, burning into Kai’s head, his body, his soul.

Only the places were Kyungsoo held his hands, did the fire not reach, but that was barely enough.

With his body convulsing pain, the master thief blacked out.


	17. Fire Dreamer

_Screams. Horrid, petrified screams all around him._

_The heat of flames and fire was licking over his skin, loud wails sounding in his right ear. Smoke was filling his lungs until they contracted painfully._

_Kai woke with a start, coughing and wheezing as he tried to breath properly. His vision was blurred by tears and grey smoke, a tiny body pressed to his side. Kai quickly covered his mouth and nose with his robe, before he looked down to the tiny body._

_Terror froze his body as he saw once white bandages wrapped around the small boys eyes, little chubby fists holding tightly on Kai’s pitch black robes. The child was wailing in fright and Kai found the scene all too familiar._

_He frantically looked around, searching for an exit, someway to get out of the burning cellar. He had to get them both out._

_Gathering the small child in his arms, he covered the child’s mouth and nose as good as he could and let the other side embrace him. Running away as fast as he could from the burning rift, he opened the lavendel-colored door in front of him, almost falling to the ground as he collapsed._

_The child coughed harshly as Kai let go of his mouth and nose. The boys bandages were askew, showing light blue, bloodshot eyes. Kai rested one hand on the child’s back, to afraid to let the boy who meant so much to him out of his sight._

_“Nin…” The boy wheezed, breaking down. “Nin… Run.” Was all the child said while he passed out._

_“Nononono…” Kai muttered, cradling the boy in his arms. He wouldn’t run away without him._

_Without his brother._

_There was laugher. Wrenched crackling laugher like of a hyena. Kai grabbed the short dagger, which hung on his side. They wouldn’t take him. Never would Kai watch how his brother got abducted by these… things…_

_The crackling snigger continued until it came from all sides. Kai held the small body tightly pressed to his chest, his shadows forming a protective barrier around the two._

_“Hey… Wake up, Sreh.” Kai shook the small body, hoping he would wake up._

_After what felt like an eternity the boy opened his eyes, light blue staring deep into the color of the night sky in Kai’s own eyes. “Nin… “_

_“It’s alright! It’s alright” Kai chanted like a mantra, maybe, just maybe it would be true, “It’s alright…” Kai felt his barriers weakening._

_The sniggers started again and soon Kai was left uselessly swinging his dagger around, hoping to get rid of the beasts around them. It was no use. Something, a claw, ripped his backside open and Kai cried out in pain as he broke down._

_His brother was ripped from his hands, claws digging deep into his back, pinning him down to the ground as he had to watch his brother pleading for him to save him._

_“Sreh!” Kai called, struggling to get out from under the beast._

_“Sreh!”_

 

\-----

 

“Sreh!”

Kai shot up from where he was lying, unfocused gaze wandering around the room. His breath came out in harsh blows and the thief felt like he was drowning, suffocating. Something wasn’t right, his eyes continued to wander around the dimly lit stone walls. A fire was burning in a made up fireplace, the smoke rising and vanishing in some holes on the ceiling.

A wave of dizziness washed over him and as fast as he had sat up, he slumped down again, deep into soft furs. He felt bile rise in his throat and tried his hardest to get his limbs to move, so he could roll to his side. When he finally managed to turn to his right side, he was wheezing, struggling to calm his erratic heartbeat.

Whatever happened to him with the statue, had took a toll on him. If it hadn’t been for Kyungsoo, his perfectly compassionate princess, then the curse would have most likely killed him.

The thief didn’t know how long he laid there, unmoving on his side and suppressing the urge to vomit with every breath.

Only the sound of footsteps approaching, heavy and unknown to Kai’s ears, shook the thief out of his sluggish thoughts. Those steps neither belonged to Sehun, nor to his princess. They were heavy, not made for sneaking around. Vibrating on the ground with power. And with every single ounce of his being Kai hoped that it was this Halim guy they were looking for.

As the footsteps stopped, they stood right in front of Kai, who barely dared to let his gaze snap up to the person. The crackle of fire accompanied those steps, the heat of flames washing over Kai’s sweaty skin.

“Are you awake?” The person questioned, voice deep and imploring. Uneasy, if Kai wasn’t in complete fever dreams.

Not trusting his dry mouth, Kai opted to simply give a short nod. There was a whine and then the person crouched down.

To Kai’s surprise, the man whose face entered the blurred path of Kai’s field of vision, looked oddly friendly. He had wide eyes - competing the crown prince’s green jewels- and fiery red hair. With the tips of that red hair burning, Kai admitted that his fever was probably worse than he had thought.

The man however furrowed his brows in concern, his wide eyes speaking of complete and utter unknowing. The man seemed to be overwhelmed as how he could help the thief.

“Just… Just stay here.” then he jumped up, before he flinched. “Not like you look like you can move, but you know what I mean, right? I mean- wait. You do know how I meant that, right? I will just get you someone who can actually take care of sick people. Not that you’re mad or something! Just ill, you know? Right, I’ll just go!” And with that the man practically ran out of Kai’s vision, his heavy steps littered with unevenness. The man was tripping over his own two feet, Kai noted amused.

A fresh wave of nausea washed over him and Kai couldn’t help but groan. This was disgusting.

Another pair of steps neared and Kai couldn’t help but sigh in relief as he paired the soft, almost unnoticeable steps to Sehun. The young queen fell to his knees in front of Kai, pressing a cool hand to the thief’s forehead.

Seeking more of the coolness, Kai leaned into the touch as much as he could. He faintly registered Sehun mumbling under his breath how Kai had a high fever and was most likely dehydrated. The thief had his eyes closed as a waterskin was pressed to his lips. When the liquid hit his dried out throat, Kai already felt the nausea subside.

Sehun took his time after that to check Kai for any other injuries, but found none. As he finished Kai was awake enough to take another good look at the kid. Sehun looked fine, maybe a bit spooked but nothing a few gentle words from Kyungsoo or a night on Luhan’s side wouldn’t fix.

“How-” Kai coughed once to get the raspiness out of his voice, “how are you?”

Sehun stopped what he was doing to smile at Kai. “I’m completely fine. You, on the other hand, gave my mentor and me quite the fright. None of us knew that you would react like that to Srro-min. Mentor is currently praying, probably the only reason why the curse you spoke of does not affect you that much anymore. Hopefully it will get better. Mentor has a great bond to the divine siblings.” Sehun started to hum then while he continued to take care of Kai, who dozed back off.

When Kai woke again, the fire was extinguished and the cave he laid in dark. He heard Sehun’s steady breathing in one corner, the kid in deep, deep slumber.

Kai could move again, even sit up without having to puke at the movement. Careful not to wake the kid he stood up, his muscles still burning like fire flared inside of him with every step. It felt like the mean ache he would get after to much teleporting.

He followed the small passageway into the Hall, leaning onto the wall for support.

The Hall was still as magnificent as it was the first time Kai had laid eyes upon it, maybe even more now. The fires had all stopped burning and instead of red and orange, a soft green and blue light filled the Hall. The statue’s wings -Srro-min’s, like Sehun had said- were emitting the soft light, pulsating as if they were alive.

Kyungsoo was kneeling in front of the altar, his palms spread away from his body and pointing upwards, gloves discarded along with his hood. His face was turned to the ground, long black hair falling over his shoulders. There was tranquility in his pose, sereness in the whole scene displayed in front of Kai.

The prince seemed to be deep in his prayers, not noticing as Kai stepped nearer, simply enjoying to watch the crown prince. The statue didn’t affect Kai at all, the god apparently appeased by Kyungsoo’s prayers.

Kai didn’t know how long he sat there, just watching the Crown Prince, his eternal princess.

It must have been hours since he woke, since the fires lightened themselves around the thief and his princess. Kyungsoo only then slowly sat up, eyes still downcast and only the smallest of smiles on his pure face.

“Thank you.” The prince said turning to Kai, who frowned in confusion.

“What for?”

“Not interrupting me. Not many have the patience to wait until we finish our prayers. They are long and confusing for someone who does not know how we pray.”

“It seems important to you, my princess.” Kai returned with a wink. His princess just smiled, soft lips forming a heart.

“It is, my thief.”

They sat in silence then, watching the pulsating of the statues wings, which slowly dimmed their glow and let the fire return to dance around the stone.

“Why did he curse me and all the others that came before?” Kai asked in a whisper.

“There was a great magical bond over you.” Kyungsoo answered just as silent. “You are wearing the gem of one of his children, yet you did not appear to be one of them. Our god thought you could defile this temple like many had wanted to before you. He wanted to drive you away.”

Kai once again looked from Kyungsoo’s kneeling form to the statue. With a determined look on his face he stood up. His princess stared wide eyed as Kai knelt down next to him, still gazing at the statue of Srro-min.

“Show me how I pray to him.” Kai demanded, not once letting his eyes leave the figure in front of him.

“But you-”

“Tell me how I can pray to him, _please_.” Kai asked again, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

Kyungsoo was silent for a while, before he stood behind Kai and arranged the thief’s posture. His head was bend down, his palms made to lie open on his knees, turned to be seen by the watchful eyes of the statue.

“You are a king, your pose if different from a queen’s. You are to show that you do not try to protect your stomach, but your mate that prays behind you. You are to shield them with your body, while a queen is to protect the child.” Kyungsoo explained and Kai tried his hardest not to protest against the tradition. He had seen and felt what the god’s wrath looked like.

“Now close your eyes. Take calm and steady breaths. Tell him, what you think is important for him to know. Spill your worries, your fears. He does not judge, he just listens and maybe even give you advice."

Kai focused on the statue, the entity in front of him. He found it hard to grasp what he wanted to tell, found it hard to show that he wanted to apologize for taking a gem that did not belong to him, his kind, in the first place. He thought of his princess and added that he wished to see his princess back on his rightful throne. All of Kai’s thoughts, mazed and abstract as they were, were spilled in front of a deity he did not believe in.  


When he finished, Kai felt the stiffness of his muscles gone, the fever extinguished. A small weight was settled in his palm and he found a thread leading to the statues offered hands.

Following the thread he peered inside the two palms.

In there laid the necklace Kai had stolen in Autumn's Death many, many nights ago. The gem that had belonged to another. Now, Srro-min had gifted it the thief.

Kai took the gem with a last bow, before he searched the room with his eyes for his princess.

The queen was seated on the same stone Kai had waited on. His hood was once again hiding his mezermising eyes, his gloves dimed the glowing green palm.

“I have seen many try to win over his favor, but all of them failed. How can a thief be so skilled, to steal our god’s liking and own it like he had prayed to him for his whole life?”

“There is a reason I am called Master Thief, my princess.”

“You are truly the only Master Thief who can say about himself that he stole from a god, his compassion nonetheless.”

Kai chuckled, taking in how beautiful his princess was. All cute and soft curves and calm voice. Kai was left reeling, how much he actually desired the queen. Thinking about the silken strands of Kyungsoo’s raven hair, he ruffled his shaggy blonde strands, only to feel an odd bump on the upper left side of his skull.

Huh, he must have hit his head harder than he thought he did.


End file.
